Other politicians may have claims to seniority over their peers, based upon their accomplishments and their ability to lead campaigns, but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex, who is often described as merely being a junior member of the House of Representatives, has an unparalleled seniority over all of them by virtue of her prowess in social media management.
Other politicians may have claims to seniority over their peers, based upon their accomplishments and their ability to lead campaigns, but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex, who is often described as merely being a junior member of the House of Representatives, has an unparalleled seniority over all of them by virtue of her prowess in social media management.
Solution
This question tests conciseness and avoiding unnecessary gerunds.
When describing someone with "described as," you don't need the extra "being" - it's like saying "I consider him as being smart" instead of the cleaner "I consider him smart." The word "mere" works as a direct adjective, while "merely being" creates unnecessary wordiness.
Option 1 → "Merely being" is wordy - like saying "described as being tall."
Option 2 → "Merely junior" sounds awkward - the adverb placement feels forced.
Option 3 → "For merely being" changes meaning - implies causation, not description.
Option 4 → Clean and direct - "mere" modifies the noun perfectly.
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