Read the following sentences and identify which ones contain an adverb clause. A. Many of the team members were inexperienced players who were playing in their first championship game. B. Although rain was drenching the players, the players still finished the game. C. The game was played under the bright lights so that the players could see well enough to hit the ball.

Introduction / Context:
Adverb clauses are an important topic in English grammar. They are dependent clauses that function like adverbs, giving information about time, reason, condition, concession, purpose, or manner. Exams often include questions that require students to distinguish between adverb clauses, adjective clauses, and noun clauses. In this question, three sentences are given, and the learner must identify which ones contain adverb clauses. This tests both the ability to recognise clause markers such as "although" and "so that" and the skill of understanding the function of a clause within the sentence.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Sentence A contains the clause "who were playing in their first championship game".
- Sentence B contains the clause "Although rain was drenching the players".
- Sentence C contains the clause "so that the players could see well enough to hit the ball".
- The options ask us to decide which sentences contain adverb clauses and which do not.
- We assume standard school level grammar definitions of adverb and adjective clauses.

Concept / Approach:
An adverb clause modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb by answering questions like "when", "why", "where", "in what manner", "under what condition", or "to what purpose". It is introduced by subordinating conjunctions such as "when", "because", "although", "if", and "so that". An adjective or relative clause, on the other hand, modifies a noun or pronoun and is often introduced by words like "who", "which", or "that". The approach is to analyse each sentence and determine whether the dependent clause is describing a noun (adjective clause) or giving information of time, reason, concession, or purpose (adverb clause).

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine sentence A: "Many of the team members were inexperienced players who were playing in their first championship game." Step 2: The clause "who were playing in their first championship game" describes "players" and answers the question "which players". Therefore, it functions as an adjective or relative clause, not an adverb clause. Step 3: Now look at sentence B: "Although rain was drenching the players, the players still finished the game." Step 4: The clause "Although rain was drenching the players" gives a contrast or concession regarding the main action "the players still finished the game". It explains the circumstances under which they finished the game. This is an adverb clause of concession. Step 5: Examine sentence C: "The game was played under the bright lights so that the players could see well enough to hit the ball." Step 6: The clause "so that the players could see well enough to hit the ball" gives the purpose of playing under bright lights. It answers the question "for what purpose". This is an adverb clause of purpose. Step 7: From this analysis, sentence B and sentence C contain adverb clauses, while sentence A contains an adjective clause. Step 8: Therefore, the correct option is the one that states "Both sentences B and C contain adverb clauses, but sentence A does not".

Verification / Alternative check:
One way to verify is to apply the "what does it modify" test. In sentence A, the clause follows the noun "players" and specifies which players are being talked about. Because it clearly narrows down the noun, it behaves like an adjective. In sentence B, the clause beginning with "Although" modifies the whole action of finishing the game by showing a contrasting condition. In sentence C, the clause starting with "so that" gives the reason or purpose for using bright lights. Both B and C therefore modify the verb phrases in the main clause, which is the role of an adverb clause. This confirmation supports the choice given in option D.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Only sentence A contains an adverb clause: This is incorrect because the clause in A is relative and modifies "players".
Only sentence B contains an adverb clause: This ignores the clear purpose clause in sentence C beginning with "so that".
Only sentence C contains an adverb clause: This fails to recognise the concessive clause beginning with "Although" in sentence B.
All the sentences A, B, and C contain adverb clauses: This is wrong because sentence A contains an adjective clause rather than an adverb clause.

Common Pitfalls:
Many students assume that any clause beginning with "who" or "which" is an adverb clause, but these usually signal adjective or relative clauses. Another common mistake is to rely only on word order instead of thinking about function. Learners may also overlook the conjunction "so that" or "although" and fail to see that these clauses answer why or under what condition an action is done. To avoid such errors, always ask what the clause is modifying and whether it supplies information about time, reason, concession, purpose, or condition. If it does, it is very likely an adverb clause.

Final Answer:
The correct statement is that both sentences B and C contain adverb clauses, but sentence A does not.