The ball accelerates because of gravity.
Option (a) is correct.
Falling objects accelerate as they approach the ground.This is because of the force of gravity acting on the falling objects. so the velocity of these objects increases continuously as they approach the ground. the acceleration acting on the falling objects is a constant ( close to the surface of earth) and is called as acceleration due to gravity denoted by g. value of g=9.8 m/s².