Which statement best explains what is taking place

Option (b) is the correct answer.

Explanation:

It is known that HCl is a strong acid and when it is dissolved in water then being strong in nature it dissociates completely in the form of hydrogen ions and chlorine ions.

The reaction will be as follows.

When a base accepts a proton then it results in the formation of a conjugate acid whereas when an acid loses a proton the it results in the formation of a conjugate base.

So, here water on accepting a proton forms as the conjugate acid. On the other hand, HCl on losing a proton forms as the conjugate base.

Thus, we can conclude that a strong base is dissociated completely, producing more conjugate acid.