The core of the sentence is 'The old clock stood silently in the corner'. The phrase 'its hands frozen at half-past four' is descriptive, adding detail about the clock. **Core Concept:** This question tests the understanding of participial phrases and their function in a sentence. It also requires differentiating between restrictive and nonrestrictive modifiers. **Step-by-step analysis:** 1. **Identify the main clause:** 'The old clock stood silently in the corner' is the main clause. 2. **Analyze the modifying phrase:** 'its hands frozen at half-past four' modifies the noun 'clock'. It doesn't restrict the meaning of 'clock' (meaning we're not talking about a specific clock among others), but provides additional description. It’s a participial phrase, since 'frozen' is a past participle, and it is nonrestrictive, because it adds nonessential information. 3. **Evaluate the options:** * **A:** An adverbial phrase would modify the verb, giving information about *how*, *when*, *where*, or *why* the action of standing occurs, but here the phrase modifies the noun. Thus, A is incorrect. * **B:** The noun phrase function usually acts as a subject, object, or complement. In this case, it is not a core component of the sentence and describes clock. Thus B is incorrect. * **C:** An appositive renames the noun. Here the phrase provides more detail about the noun. Thus C is incorrect. * **D:** The phrase is a nonrestrictive participle phrase modifying the noun 'clock', which adds information without changing the meaning of 'clock'. Thus, D is correct. **Key Points:** * Nonrestrictive participial phrases are set off by commas and provide extra, non-essential information. They act as noun modifiers. * Appositives rename the noun; they do not describe or provide additional information in the same way. * Adverbial phrases modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, not nouns. **Error Prevention:** Option A is tempting because the phrase is near the verb, which some students tend to link with. Option B is tempting because it contains nouns. Option C is tempting because appositives also provide additional information, but this phrase does more than simply rename the noun.