Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice” by Julia Alvarez.
Periodically, Trujillo would demand a tribute, and they would acquiesce. A tax, a dummy vote, a portrait on the wall. To my father and other men in the country, the most humiliating of these tributes was the occasional parade in which women were made to march and turn their heads and acknowledge the great man as they passed the review stand.
If you did not march, your cédula would not be stamped, and without a stamped identification card, you could do nothing; in particular, you could not obtain your passport to leave the country under the pretext of wanting to study heart surgery. This was the second escape—this time with his whole family—that my father was planning.
The day came when my mother had to march.
Which statement best explains how the author develops the central idea throughout the passage?
Alvarez shows that the parades were embarrassing but were not a serious matter.
Alvarez shows that Trujillo enjoyed it when people paid attention to him.
Alvarez shows that refusing to obey Trujillo's requests could be dangerous.
Alvarez shows that women played an important part in political life.
The statement "Alvarez shows that refusing to obey Trujillo's requests could be dangerous" best explains how the author develops the central idea throughout the passage. The author describes how the refusal to march in the parade would result in consequences such as not being able to obtain identification cards or passports. This suggests that disobeying Trujillo's requests had serious and negative ramifications.
The correct answer is: Alvarez shows that refusing to obey Trujillo's requests could be dangerous.
The best statement that explains how the author develops the central idea throughout the passage is: Alvarez shows that refusing to obey Trujillo's requests could be dangerous.
The passage describes how Trujillo, a dictator, would demand tributes from the people, including the humiliating parade in which women were forced to march and acknowledge him. The author highlights the significance of these parades by emphasizing that if one refused to march, their identification card would not be stamped, hindering their ability to do anything, including obtaining a passport to leave the country. This implies that there were serious consequences for those who did not comply with Trujillo's requests, suggesting that refusing to obey him could be dangerous.