To activate the color dialog box in a software application, the method commonly used is:

The Answer is: D. ShowDialog

Now, let's go through each option and explain why it is right or wrong:

A. ActivateDialog: This option is incorrect because there is no standard method called ActivateDialog to activate the color dialog box. The correct method is ShowDialog.

B. DisplayDialog: This option is incorrect because there is no standard method called DisplayDialog to activate the color dialog box. The correct method is ShowDialog.

C. ExhibitDialog: This option is incorrect because there is no standard method called ExhibitDialog to activate the color dialog box. The correct method is ShowDialog.

D. ShowDialog: This option is correct. The ShowDialog method is commonly used to activate the color dialog box in software applications. It displays the dialog box and waits for the user to make a selection before returning control to the calling code.

E. StartDialog: This option is incorrect because there is no standard method called StartDialog to activate the color dialog box. The correct method is ShowDialog.

In summary, the correct method to activate the color dialog box is ShowDialog.