In the sentence 'It fell on the land, which quickly flooded', the phrase 'which quickly flooded' is an example of which type of clause?

• A. Relative clause
• B. Adverbial clause
• C. Noun clause
• D. Independent clause

Answer: (A)

The phrase is a relative clause—it adds extra information about a noun using a relative pronoun. In this sentence, “which quickly flooded” refers to “the land” and provides additional detail about it. The comma signals that this clause is nonrestrictive, meaning the sentence would still make sense without it. It isn’t an adverbial clause, which would modify the verb (tell how, when, where), and it isn’t a noun clause, which would function as a noun in the sentence. It also isn’t an independent clause, since it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.