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 mother’s 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:

To find the central idea, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The excerpt says the mother was intrigued by the dictator (the "great man") and knew nothing of his horrid crimes, so her image of him (as a great man) didn't match reality (his actual horrid nature). This fits.
• Option B: The excerpt focuses on the mother's view of the dictator, not her love for movie stars as a young girl (the movie star reference is a comparison, not the main idea). Eliminate.
• Option C: There's no mention of the family keeping secrets from each other. Eliminate.
• Option D: The mother knew nothing of the horrid crimes, so the family didn't talk about them. Eliminate.

Answer:

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