Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice” by Julia Alvarez. Images of the dictator hung in every house next to the crucifix and Ia Virgencita with the declaration beneath: In this house Trujillo is Chief. The pale face of a young military man wearing a plumed bicorne hat and a gold–braided uniform looked down beneficently at my mother as she read her romantic novelas and dreamed of meeting the great love of her life. Sometimes in her daydreams, her great love wore the handsome young dictator’s face. Never having seen him, my mother could not know the portrait was heavily retouched. What is the central idea of this paragraph?
Answer
A
The images of Trujillo portrayed him falsely.
B
Young people dream about the person they will marry.
C
Alvarez's mother wanted to meet Trujillo one day.
D
Trujillo wore elaborate uniforms and headpieces.
Explanation
The paragraph describes how Trujillo’s portrait showed him as handsome and benevolent, but says it was “heavily retouched.” This contrast shows that the image presented a false, idealized version of him. Therefore, the central idea is that the images of Trujillo portrayed him falsely.
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