The correct answer is A. By creating API Gateway resources and setting the integration type to MOCK, the company can simulate API responses without needing a real backend. This allows teams to continue developing dependent components while the backend is still in development. Options B, C, and D involve creating real backend components (Lambda function, EC2 application) or using integration types that assume a backend is available (AWS_PROXY, HTTP_PROXY), which do not meet the requirement of simulating APIs without an integrated backend.