Question

Locate the gerund. Since it is used as a noun, determine its noun use. A popular pastime is backpacking.

Answer 1

The gerund in the sentence provided above is backpacking. Gerunds are verbs in -ing form but function as a noun. In this sentence, it functions as a  direct object because it answers the question "what". By this, we can construct the question "What popular pastime is being talked about?".

Answer 2

Gerund : backpacking

Use: Predict noun