In a Chi-Square Test of Independence, the Term "Expected Frequency

In a chi-square test of independence, the term "expected frequency" generally refers to:

A) the distribution of people over categories on the measured variables under the assumption of equal numbers of people in all cells
B) the expected distribution of people over categories on one variable if the distribution of people over categories on the other variable is completely unrelated to it
C) the spread of the independent variable to see if it is a truly independent variable
D) the population's distribution of the scores on the dependent variable