As a refrigerator lowers the temperature of the items it contains, the thermal energy that is removed from these items is

a. stored in the refrigerator.
b. released to the surroundings.
c. converted into electrical energy.
d. converted into mechanical energy.

As a refrigerator lowers the temperature of the items it contains, the thermal energy that is removed from these items is released to the surroundings. Thermal energy isn't stored in a fridge so that causes the temperature to increase. 

Letter B ✅

Hope that helps. -UF aka Nadia

It shows that the experiment is designed properly.