Answer
(d)
Work Step by Step
The acceleration due to gravity acts in the downward direction, in the same direction as the initial velocity of the stone when it was thrown from the top of the cliff. Therefore, this stone picks up speed as it approaches the nest. In contrast, the acceleration due to gravity points opposite to the initial velocity of the stone thrown from the ground, so this stone loses speed as it approaches the nest. As a consequence, on average, the stone thrown from the top of the cliff travels faster than the stone thrown from the ground and hits the nest first.
