Perl, PHP, Active Server Pages (ASP), and .NET are examples of:

The correct answer identifies Perl, PHP, Active Server Pages (ASP), and .NET as Common Gateway Interface (CGI) applications because they all serve as platforms or technologies that facilitate the communication between web servers and client requests. CGI is a standard protocol that web servers use to execute scripts and programs, allowing them to generate dynamic web content.

These technologies are primarily used on the server side of web development to process requests from clients, perform business logic, interact with databases, and produce dynamic web pages. While they can overlap with client-side functionality or web design frameworks in certain instances, their primary role aligns with the capabilities of CGI, enabling interaction between a web server and the applications that run scripts to serve dynamic content.

In contrast, client-side scripting languages are executed in the user's browser and are not involved in direct server communication to that extent. Database management systems focus on the storage and retrieval of data rather than the execution of web scripts. Web design frameworks primarily provide tools and structures for front-end design rather than server-side processing, distinguishing them from the CGI capabilities exhibited by the mentioned technologies.