Thus, the correct option is (A).
When sulfur dioxide (SO₂) reacts with acidified potassium permanganate (KMnO₄), SO₂ is oxidised to sulfate ions (SO₄²⁻), and permanganate ions are reduced to manganese (Mn²⁺). The overall reaction is a redox reaction in which the oxidation state of sulfur increases.
The product (A) formed in the following reaction sequence is:

$\mathrm{KMnO}_{4}$ acts as an oxidising agent in acidic medium. ' X ' is the difference between the oxidation states of Mn in reactant and product. ' Y ' is the number of ' d ' electrons present in the brown red precipitate formed at the end of the acetate ion test with neutral ferric chloride. The value of $\mathrm{X}+\mathrm{Y}$ is _______ .