Metadata API supports deploy() and retrieve() calls for file-based deployment.

The correct selection is A, D. Direct Metadata API retrieve() and deploy() calls are primary when custom code or tooling itself must programmatically move metadata. If Salesforce CLI or the Ant Migration Tool is already being used, those clients wrap the API and the developer normally invokes the tool instead of writing direct API calls. From a deployment perspective, the same release should be reproducible across environments, with dependencies, metadata/data differences, API behavior, and target-org constraints identified before production. Automation is valuable because it turns deployment knowledge into a controlled process rather than relying on memory or manual reconstruction. The other choices either rely on manual reconstruction, use a deployment mechanism designed for a different scope, or fail to preserve dependencies and repeatability across target environments. For this scenario, the decisive point is therefore the platform behavior represented by the selected options (A. Team development of an application in a Developer Edition organization. After completing development and testing, the application is Distributed via Lightning Platform AppExchange.; D. Development of a custom application in a sandbox organization. After completing development and testing, the application is then deployed Into a production organization using Metadata API.). Applying that rule consistently keeps the implementation aligned with Salesforce-supported lifecycle practices and makes the resulting change easier to review, validate, and operate across environments.

Study Guide reference: Deploying — Metadata API and Tooling API; deployment validation; package/change-set deployment; data migration; dependency management.