What part of speech is the bolded phrase in the sentence below? Is it a gerund or a participle?

Thinking critically is a skill

(1 point)
Responses

noun, gerund
noun, gerund

adjective, gerund
adjective, gerund

noun, participle
noun, participle

adjective, participle
adjective, participle

1 answer

The bolded phrase "Thinking critically" is a noun and a gerund in this sentence.