What occurs at the cathode if the element is less reactive than hydrogen?

When an element is less reactive than hydrogen, during electrolysis, it will be preferentially reduced at the cathode. This means that the ions of the less reactive element will gain electrons and be discharged as a solid metal. Therefore, the correct response is that the element will be released at the cathode as it is deposited from the solution.

This phenomenon relates to the reactivity series of metals, where more reactive metals tend to remain in solution as ions while the less reactive metals are more likely to be reduced and precipitate out as solids. Hence, the formation of a solid state directly correlates with the discharge of the less reactive element at the cathode.