This question tests your understanding of gerunds and passive voice in English grammar. The sentence structure requires a specific verb form after the preposition "at".

The key part of the sentence is: "upset at not _____ the job".

Let's break it down step-by-step:

Step 1: Identify the structure. The word "at" is a preposition. In English, a preposition must be followed by a noun or a noun phrase. A gerund (a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun) is the correct choice to follow a preposition.

Step 2: Determine the voice. The subject of the sentence, "she", is the receiver of the action (the job offer). She did not perform the action of offering; the action was done to her. Therefore, we need the passive voice ("be offered") to show that she was the recipient.

Step 3: Combine the concepts. After the preposition "at", we need a gerund. To make the gerund passive, we use "being" + the past participle. The structure is "not being offered".

Final Answer: The complete correct phrase is "being offered". The full sentence reads: "Was she very upset at not being offered the job?"

Why the other options are incorrect:

• to offered: This is grammatically incorrect. After "to", we need the base form of a verb (infinitive), not a past participle. The correct infinitive passive form is "to be offered".
• offered: This is just a past participle. It cannot directly follow a preposition like "at"; it needs a helper verb ("being" or "to be").
• to be offered: This is a correct infinitive passive form. However, it is used after adjectives that describe a person's character (e.g., "She was happy to be offered the job"). After the preposition "at", which explains the reason for her upset, the gerund "being offered" is required.

Related Topics & Formulae

Gerunds after Prepositions: A fundamental rule is that prepositions (at, in, on, of, about, etc.) are followed by nouns. When an action is the object of the preposition, we use the gerund form (-ing) of the verb to turn that action into a noun-like concept.
Formula: Preposition + Verb-ing (Gerund)

Passive Voice: The passive voice is used when the subject of the sentence is acted upon. The structure is: form of "be" + past participle.
Formula: Subject + be + Past Participle

Passive Gerund: This combines both concepts. It is used when the action of the gerund is received by the subject.
Formula: being + Past Participle