Question

read the excerpt from \a genetics of justice\ by julia alvarez.
during my early teen years in this country, i knew very little about what was actually going on in the dominican republic. whenever la situación on the island came up, my parents spoke in hushed voices. in december 1960, four months after our arrival, time magazine reported the murder of the three mirabal sisters, who along with their husbands had started the national underground dominican republic. my parents confiscated the magazine. to our many questions about what was going on, my mother always had the ready answer, \en boca cerrada no entran moscas.\ no flies fly into a closed mouth. later, i found out that this very saying had been scratched on the lintel of the entrance of the sims torture center at la cuarenta.
what is the central idea of this paragraph?
○ the authors parents gave the same responses to questions about the dominican republic.
○ the authors parents were afraid to discuss murders or events in the dominican republic.
○ the author had little interest in the politics or events of the dominican republic.
○ the author wanted to focus on life in a new country, not the dominican republic.

Explanation:

The excerpt describes that the author's parents spoke in hushed voices about Dominican Republic events, confiscated a magazine covering the Mirabal sisters' murder, and used a saying linked to a torture center to avoid answering questions. This shows they feared discussing violent/political events there. Other options are incorrect: the parents didn't give the same responses (the mother used a saying, while they also confiscated the magazine), the author was curious (not uninterested) as they asked many questions, and the text doesn't state the author wanted to focus only on the new country.

Answer:

The author's parents were afraid to discuss murders or events in the Dominican Republic.