Answer:
This is a compound sentence.
Step-by-step explanation:
A compound sentence is formed by joining two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction - for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Independent clauses are groups of words that can stand alone as a sentence, which means they offer information that makes sense without the help of another clause.
That is precisely what we have in this case. Let's break the sentence down into the two clauses that form it:
1. It was a bright cold day in April
2. and the clocks were striking thirteen.
Both sentences make sense on their own. From one, we get to know what the day looked like and what month it was. From the other, we get to know the time. The second sentence begins with a coordinating conjunction, "and", which is used to join independent clauses. With that in mind, we can safely say we have a compound sentence here.