Question

When cold season approaches, many people take precautions to avoid colds and flu. The flu shot is a first line of defense. Doctor's offices and pharmacies dispense shots. Many clinics, community groups, and public health departments offer free shots. Healthy eating, drinking plenty of fluids, and getting enough sleep are also important guards against winter illness. 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 three to five sentences, identify the main claim of the passage and explain some examples of supports for that claim. Identify a sentence in the second paragraph that contains an irrelevant detail.

7th grade level tho pls

Answer 1

The main claim is that the most important step to stay well during cold season is to wash your hands frequently. The passage supports this by saying colds and flu are spread through your hands, listing common surfaces (doorknobs, handles, faucets, shopping cart handles, elevator buttons, phones, tables) that can carry germs, and warning that touching your nose or rubbing your eyes after being out lets germs get into your body. A sentence in the second paragraph with an irrelevant detail is: "The most common cold virus is the rhinovirus." This fact is true but not needed to explain why handwashing helps prevent getting sick.