Question

read the excerpt from a genetics of justice by julia alvarez.
my mother must have been intrigued. she knew nothing of the horrid crimes of the dictatorship, for her parents were afraid to say anything-even to their own children - against the regime. so, as a young girl, my mother must have thought of el jefe as a kind of movie star. she must have wanted to meet the great man.
what is the central idea in this paragraph?
her mothers image of the great man did not match reality.
her mother loved movie stars when she was a young girl.
her mother and her family kept secrets from one another.
her family talked about the horrid crimes of the dictatorship.

Explanation:

The text states that the mother knew nothing of the dictator's crimes (as her parents were afraid to speak against the regime). So, the mother, as a young girl, thought of the dictator (El Jefe) as a movie - star. This implies that her mental image (movie - star like) of the 'great man' (dictator) did not match the reality (a dictator committing horrid crimes). The other options:

• Option 2 ("Her mother loved movie stars when she was a young girl") is too simplistic and does not capture the contrast between the mother's perception and reality.
• Option 3 ("Her mother and her family kept secrets from one another") is not the main point. The main focus is on the mother's misperception of the dictator.
• Option 4 ("Her family talked about the horrid crimes of the dictatorship") is false as the text says her parents were afraid to say anything against the regime.

Answer:

Her mother’s image of the great man did not match reality.