As the kinetic energy given to the stone is dependent on the speed of projection, the speed with which it hits the ground is dependent upon the kinetic energy given to the stone at the time of projection. Whereas when the stone hits the ground its kinetic is the sum of kinetic energy given to it at the time of projection and the potential energy at the point of projection with respect to the ground. This implies the kinetic energy of the stone is more at the ground than the point of projection. As, the kinetic energy of a given mass particle is only dependent on its speed, so its speed when it hits the ground must be larger than the speed of projection. The other options are quite opposite to our explanation.