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.\

-
ever 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. The central idea relates to how the dictator's image (and the reality vs. perception of it) influenced the mother. The quote "Never having seen him, my mother could not know the portrait was heavily retouched" shows the disconnect between the idealized (retouched) portrait and the unknown reality, which ties to the theme of how the dictator was presented (and misperceived) through these images. Other options focus on the presence of the portrait or daydreams, but this quote addresses the key point of the portrait's falsification and the mother's lack of awareness, supporting the central idea about the constructed image of the dictator.

Answer:

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