Final answer:
The phrase 'Distracted by her father's snoring,' in the provided sentence is a participial phrase, which functions similarly to an adjective by providing additional details about the subject, Alisha.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the sentence provided, 'Distracted by her father's snoring,' the underlined phrase is a participial phrase. A participial phrase typically begins with a present or past participle and functions to provide additional information about the subject, often acting as an adjective. In this case, 'Distracted by her father's snoring' describes the subject, Alisha, providing the reason for her action—to study in the kitchen.
To further illustrate, consider this similar example: 'Already exhausted by the second quarter, we were no match for the division champions.' Here, the participial phrase 'Already exhausted by the second quarter' adds a description to 'we,' much like how 'Distracted by her father’s snoring' adds a description to 'Alisha' in the original sentence.