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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!

Please 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

1 answer

The main claim of the passage is that frequent handwashing is the most important step to stay well during the cold season and to avoid colds and flu.

Examples of supports for this claim include:

  1. Mention of how colds and flu are transmitted through hands and how touching contaminated surfaces can lead to illness.
  2. A list of common surfaces that can carry viruses and bacteria, including doorknobs, handles, and public phones, emphasizing the ubiquity of germs in everyday environments.
  3. The explanation that touching one's nose or rubbing one's eyes after being out can quickly transfer germs from hands to mucous membranes, which can lead to infection.

An irrelevant detail in the second paragraph is the mention of the rhinovirus as "the most common cold virus." While it provides some context about cold viruses, it does not contribute directly to the main claim about handwashing being crucial for preventing illness.