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 short 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.

1 answer

The main claim of the passage is that frequent handwashing is the most important step to avoid colds and flu during the cold season. The passage supports this claim by explaining how viruses are easily transmitted through contaminated surfaces, such as doorknobs and elevator buttons, and by highlighting the common behavior of touching one's face, which can lead to infection. An irrelevant detail in the second paragraph is the mention of the rhinovirus as the most common cold virus, as the focus of the paragraph is on hand hygiene rather than specific viruses.