Question

read the excerpt from \a genetics of justice\ by julia alvarez.
images of the dictator hung in every house next to the crucifix and la 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.
which quotation provides the best evidence*for the central idea of this excerpt?
○ “in this house trujillo is chief.”
○ “the pale face of a young military man wearing a plumed bicorne hat and a goldbraided uniform looked down beneficently at my mother.”
○ “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.”

Explanation:

To determine the best evidence for the central idea, we analyze the excerpt's focus: the dictator's (Trujillo) pervasive presence (images in every house) and the mother's idealized perception (daydreams, not knowing the portrait was retouched).

• Option A ("In this house Trujillo is Chief") emphasizes his imposed authority but not the mother’s perception.
• Option B describes the portrait’s appearance but not the idealization/ignorance.
• Option C focuses on the mother’s romantic daydreams about the dictator, which connects to her idealized view but doesn’t highlight the portrait’s manipulation.
• Option D ("Never having seen him, my mother could not know the portrait was heavily retouched") directly addresses the central idea: the dictator’s pervasive imagery (portrait) and the mother’s lack of awareness about its manipulation (retouched), showing how the regime’s propaganda (idealized portrait) shaped her perception. This ties the imposed presence and her uninformed idealization together.

Answer:

D. "Never having seen him, my mother could not know the portrait was heavily retouched"