Final answer:
Considering air resistance, the paper would reach the ground last due to its large surface area which experiences more air resistance relative to its mass.
Step-by-step explanation:
The object that would reach the ground last when dropped from the same height considering the effects of air resistance is the paper. When objects such as a piece of paper, a pen, and a book are dropped, they all experience gravity equally, but air resistance significantly affects the rate at which they fall. The force of air resistance is greater on objects with more surface area when compared to their mass, causing these objects to fall slower. A piece of paper, which has a large surface area relative to its mass, experiences more air resistance and takes longer to fall compared to the denser objects like a pen or a book. Hence, the book, being the most compact among the items, will encounter the least air resistance relative to its weight and fall faster than the pen and much faster than the paper.
In non-ideal conditions where air resistance cannot be ignored, objects do not have the same rate of fall; the notion that heavy objects fall faster is a misconception that has been debunked since the time of Galileo. The real determinant of the falling rate in the presence of air is the balance between gravitational pull and air resistance. Therefore, the direct answer is (b) the paper would reach the ground last.