Question

Identify the italicized phrase.. . Mervin, {the circus animal trainer}, directed the elephant by tapping her trunk.. . . participle. gerund. infinitive. appositive

Answer 1

i think it may be gerund 

Answer 2

The correct answer among all the other choices is appositive because of the use of comma and it defines the word it precedes. Thank you for posting your question. I hope that this answer helped you. Let me know if you need more help.