A bird flying eastward through the sky suddenly drops a peanut it was carrying. Which of the following best represents the peanut's path as it falls as seen by an observer on the ground? (Neglect air resistance.)

This option suggests that the peanut falls back towards the bird, which is incorrect. The peanut, once released, does not retain any upward motion and cannot reverse direction. Instead, it continues to move horizontally at the same speed as the bird while falling downward, leading to a straight downward path relative to the observer.

This option depicts a trajectory that curves upward, which is not possible in this scenario. Once released, the peanut does not gain any upward velocity and will not ascend after being dropped; it will only move downward under the influence of gravity.

This choice suggests an exaggerated horizontal motion of the peanut, implying that it moves significantly forward while falling. While it does have horizontal motion, the primary motion is downward due to gravity, and the horizontal distance covered while falling is relatively small compared to the vertical drop.