Step 1: The timeline depicts the natural history of disease, that is, the progression of a disease process in an individual over time in the absence of treatment.
Step 2: It shows the stage of susceptibility, exposure, subclinical disease where pathologic changes occur, onset of symptoms, the usual time of diagnosis, clinical disease, and finally recovery, disability or death.
Step 3: Longitudinal (cohort) studies follow a group forward over time and are the method used to study the natural history of disease. Cross sectional studies capture only a single point in time, while randomized controlled trials and interventional studies introduce a treatment and so cannot describe untreated natural history. Hence a cohort study is correct.