In each of the following questions, choose the option that best completes the gap(s). The boy _____ the flute for about thirty minutes.

The sentence "The boy _____ the flute for about thirty minutes" requires a verb form that expresses an action continuing over a stated duration. The phrase "for about thirty minutes" signals a period of time during which the action has been ongoing.

The correct answer is has been playing, which is the present perfect continuous tense. This tense is formed with has/have + been + present participle (-ing) and is used to describe an action that started in the past and has continued up to the present moment. The "for" + time expression naturally pairs with this tense.

The other options are flawed:

• "Was playing" (past continuous) describes a past action in progress but does not connect it to the present; it would need additional past-time context.
• "Has play" is grammatically incorrect; the present perfect requires the past participle "played," not the base form.
• "Has being playing" is also incorrect; the correct auxiliary is "been," not "being." "Being" is a present participle, while "been" is the past participle of "be" needed after "has."