She hates … waiting. — choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences

Analyze the question

The sentence is "She hates ____ waiting." We need a verb form that fits with "waiting" and gives a natural meaning: she dislikes the experience of someone making her wait.

Concept

The verb hate can be followed by a gerund (-ing form) or an infinitive. For a general dislike, the gerund is common. Here, "kept waiting" is a passive structure: keep someone waiting becomes be kept waiting.

• Active: "People keep her waiting."
• Passive: "She is kept waiting."
• After hates: "She hates being kept waiting."

Checking each option

• A. to have been kept waiting is the perfect infinitive. It refers to a completed past event, which doesn't suit a general habitual dislike. It is awkward here.
• B. having been kept waiting is the perfect gerund. It stresses an action completed before the hating, which is not the meaning here.
• C. being kept waiting is a present passive gerund. It expresses a general dislike and is idiomatic: "She hates being kept waiting."
• D. to be keeping waiting is ungrammatical, because "keeping waiting" has no object and the structure is wrong.

Answer

The correct option is C. being kept.

Tip: The phrase "kept waiting" is a common collocation. When you see hate / dislike / resent / can't stand plus a general experience, think "being + past participle", as in being told, being ignored, being kept waiting. Also, if an option has "to have been" or "having been", ask whether the action clearly happened earlier. If it doesn't, the simple form is usually better.