Answer: The sentence that contains a gerund used as a direct object is D. Clearly, the heroine did not appreciate the raging of the hero.
Step-by-step explanation: A gerund is a non-finite verb that ends in "-ing" and acts as a noun. Moreover, a gerund can play different functions in a sentence: it can function as the subject, as the direct object and even as object of the preposition. In sentence D., the gerund is "raging" and it is functioning as the direct object together with its modifiers. In other words, in sentence D., "the raging of the hero" is the recipient of the action expressed by the transitive verb "appreciate".