Final answer:
The application of the distributive property to the expression 4(a + b) results in 4a + 4b, which matches option A) 4a + 4b.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the equivalent expression to 4(a + b), we use the distributive property of multiplication over addition. This property states that A(B + C) = AB + AC. Applying this to our expression, we distribute the 4 to both a and b, which yields 4a + 4b.
Therefore, when we use distribution to match the equivalent terms in the expression 4(a + b), we get the result 4a + 4b, which corresponds to option A) 4a + 4b.