Question

In paragraph 1, what does the author mean by the description of helmet requirements as “a red herring, an irrelevance, a peripheral issue”?

Responses

Helmet requirements are unpopular.

Helmet requirements are unpopular.

Helmet requirements are a distraction.

Helmet requirements are a distraction.

Helmet requirements cause injury.

Helmet requirements cause injury.

Helmet requirements continue to be debated.
Answer
The text is “The Bike Helmet Debate”
by Peter Walker
Answered by GPT-4o mini
The author is indicating that helmet requirements are not the main issue at hand and that discussions about them distract from more important matters. Therefore, the most fitting response is:

**Helmet requirements are a distraction.**
Answered by GPT-4o mini
In the context of "The Bike Helmet Debate" by Peter Walker, when the author describes helmet requirements as “a red herring, an irrelevance, a peripheral issue,” he is suggesting that these requirements are not central to the more significant discussions surrounding cycling safety, injury prevention, or cycling culture. They may divert attention from more pressing issues that need to be addressed.

Given that understanding, the best response still remains:

**Helmet requirements are a distraction.**

This captures the author's intent that focusing on helmet laws might distract from the larger and more critical issues in the debate about cycling safety.