Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice” by Julia Alvarez.
Passage A:
And so, long after we had left, my parents were still living in the dictatorship inside their own heads. Even on American soil, they were afraid of awful consequences if they spoke out or disagreed with authorities. The First Amendment right to free speech meant nothing to them. Silence about anything "political” was the rule in our house.
Passage B:
My mother, especially, lived in terror of the consequences of living as free citizens. In New York City, before Trujillo was killed, Dominican exiles gathered around the young revolutionary Juan Bosch planning an invasion of the Island. Every time my father attended these meetings, my mother would get hysterical. If the SIM found out about my father's activities, family members remaining behind were likely to be in danger. Even our own family in New York could suffer consequences.
Which statement best analyzes how the author develops the central idea across the two passages?
Alvarez describes how the SIM’s threats and activities followed her family even in the United States.
Alvarez shows how her parents' fears about the dictatorship turned out to be false as the situation in the Dominican Republic improved.
Alvarez shows how her parents' fears about the dictatorship affected their thoughts and actions even when they lived in the United States.
Alvarez describes how her parents feared the values of free speech and freedom of association.
The statement that best analyzes how the author develops the central idea across the two passages is: Alvarez shows how her parents' fears about the dictatorship affected their thoughts and actions even when they lived in the United States.
To analyze how the author develops the central idea across the two passages, we need to examine the details and events mentioned in each passage. In both Passage A and Passage B, the author discusses her parents' fears and the lingering presence of the dictatorship even when they are living in the United States.
In Passage A, the author states that her parents are still living in the dictatorship inside their own heads. They are afraid of speaking out or disagreeing with authorities, and even the First Amendment right to free speech means nothing to them. The rule in their house is silence about anything "political." This passage establishes the idea that her parents' fears and subjugation to the dictatorship continue to affect their thoughts and actions, even while living in the United States.
In Passage B, the author further expands on her mother's fear and provides concrete examples. Her mother is terrified of the consequences of living as free citizens. Even in New York City, where they are safe from the direct reach of the dictatorship, there are exiled Dominicans planning an invasion of the island. The author's father attends these meetings, and every time he does, her mother becomes hysterical. She fears that if the SIM (Secret Police) found out about her father's activities, their family members remaining in the Dominican Republic, as well as their own family in New York, could suffer consequences. This passage reinforces the central idea that the fears and threats of the dictatorship follow the author's family even when they are living in the United States.
Based on this analysis, the statement that best describes how the author develops the central idea across the two passages is: Alvarez shows how her parents' fears about the dictatorship affected their thoughts and actions even when they lived in the United States.
The statement that best analyzes how the author develops the central idea across the two passages is:
Alvarez describes how her parents' fears about the dictatorship affected their thoughts and actions even when they lived in the United States.