If a term with multiple elements is raised to an exponent, the correct statement is that the outer exponent can be distributed to each of the inner exponents.
For example, if you have \((a \cdot b)^n\), it can be expressed as:
\[ (a \cdot b)^n = a^n \cdot b^n \]
This principle applies to addition too, so for \((a + b)^n\), the outer exponent does not distribute directly as it does in multiplication; instead, it expands based on the binomial theorem.
Therefore, the primary correct interpretation regarding distribution applies to multiplication within the parentheses.