Question

The most important step of all, in order to stay well during cold season, is washing your hands frequently. Colds and flu are transmitted through your hands. The most common cold virus is the rhinovirus. You pick up and pass on flu and cold viruses whenever you touch surfaces contaminated by other people. Doorknobs, handles, faucets, food-cart and basket handles, elevator buttons, public phones, tables, and trays, to name a few, can all carry viruses and bacteria. Touching your nose or rubbing your eyes after an outing are the quickest way to pick up germs on your hands. So, pay attention and keep washing!

In 3 sentences, identify the main claim of the passage and identify an example of support for that claim. Identify a sentence in the second paragraph that contains an irrelevant detail.

Answer 1

The main claim is that washing your hands frequently is the most important step to stay well during cold season because colds and flu are transmitted through your hands. An example of support is the list of contaminated surfaces—doorknobs, handles, faucets, food-cart and basket handles, elevator buttons, public phones, tables, and trays—which shows how easily germs can be picked up. The sentence "The most common cold virus is the rhinovirus." is an irrelevant detail because naming the virus doesn't directly support the advice to wash hands.