AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
(C) Increases heavily
At the time of a short circuit, the resistance in the circuit drops to nearly zero, causing the current to increase heavily.
This is directly from Section 12.4: when the live and neutral wires come into direct contact, "the current in the circuit abruptly increases — this is called short-circuiting." The fuse then melts to break the circuit. Remember: short circuit → very low resistance → very high current (by Ohm's law, I = V/R).