Final answer:
The correct answer is option b. When potassium channels close, it prevents the outflow of K+ ions, which normally contribute to the negative charge within the cell during hyperpolarization, thereby affecting the repolarization process. The cell may stay closer to the depolarized state and it will not hyperpolarize as it would if the channels were open. Thus, the closure of the channels interferes with the normal hyperpolarization following depolarization.
Step-by-step explanation:
When potassium channels close, the resting membrane potential is affected because potassium ions (K+) cannot leave the cell, which normally contributes to the negative charge within the cell during repolarization. The closure of these potassium channels will prevent the cell from becoming more negative than its resting potential and therefore, hyperpolarization will not proceed as it typically would during this phase.
Since repolarization is the process that restores the membrane potential to around the -70 mV resting potential, the absence of potassium ion outflow due to closed channels would interrupt this process. As a result, the membrane potential might stay closer to the depolarized state or take longer to return to the resting potential. However, without the outflow of K+, the cell will not proceed to hyperpolarize, which occurs when the membrane potential becomes more negative than the resting potential.
Therefore, the answer to the student's question is B) hyperpolarization, as the closing of the potassium channels will interfere with the cell's ability to hyperpolarize following depolarization.