How does an XSLT processor identify the specific nodes in an XML document to which...

In XSLT, the processor applies transformation rules by matching nodes using XPath expressions inside statements.

“Templates define the rule, and XPath expressions determine which nodes they apply to.”

This is the foundational mechanism by which XSLT processes XML data.

Why the others are incorrect:

B. The element defines scope, not node matching.

C. invokes a named template but does not itself match nodes.

D. Namespace prefixes are used within XPath, but node matching is based on XPath.