Please help the question is already on the pic and please explain

The depth of a lake at a certain point, wich is a function of the distance of that point from shore, is 30 feet.

Which expression is equivalent to (3^2)^-2 a.-81 b.-12 c.1/81 d.1/12

Simonne used the following steps to simplify the given expression. 12 - 3(-2x + 4) step 1: 12 + (–3)·(–2x) + (–3)·(4) step 2: 12 + 6x + (–12) step 3: 12 + (–12) + 6x step 4: 0 + 6x step 5: 6x what property of real numbers was used to transition from step 3 to step 4? a. identity property of addition b. inverse property of addition c. associative property of addition d. commutative property of addition