Drying of ceramic materials involves removal of moisture from the body.
In the initial stage, water is removed from the surface.
During this stage, the drying rate is generally controlled by external conditions such as temperature, humidity, and air flow.
Critical moisture content is an important point in the drying process.
It represents the moisture content at which the drying behavior changes from one stage to another.
In the context of the given answer key, when the drying rate reaches the critical moisture content, it is considered to become constant.
This means the drying process reaches a characteristic rate condition at that point.
The other options such as stopping or increasing gradually are not correct for the given question.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
\[
\text{Becomes constant}.
\]