Correct Answer:
A. at
The correct preposition to complete the sentence "We arrived __________ the airport on time" is at. This choice adheres to standard English usage for expressing arrival at a specific location.
- Arrive at: This preposition is typically used when referring to arrival at a specific, relatively small, or defined place, such as an airport, a station, a building, an office, or a particular address. For example, "We arrived at the hotel," or "She arrived at the meeting."
- Arrive in: This preposition is used for larger geographical areas like cities, countries, or continents. For instance, "They arrived in Paris," or "He arrived in France."
- Arrive on: This preposition is generally used for surfaces (e.g., "arrive on the platform") or for specific dates/days (e.g., "arrive on Monday"). It is not suitable for indicating arrival at a general location like an airport.
- Arrive to: While "to" indicates direction, "arrive to" is grammatically incorrect in most contexts when referring to a destination. The correct idiomatic expressions are "arrive at" or "arrive in."
Therefore, "at" is the most appropriate preposition, indicating the precise point of arrival.