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 2 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. (4 points)
Main claim: Washing your hands frequently is the most important step to staying well during cold season.
Examples of supports for the claim:
1. The passage states that colds and flu are transmitted through your hands and that the most common cold virus is the rhinovirus, which can be picked up and passed on whenever you touch surfaces contaminated by other people.
2. The passage also mentions that touching your nose or rubbing your eyes after being in public places is the quickest way to pick up germs on your hands, emphasizing the importance of washing hands frequently.
Sentence with irrelevant detail: "Doctor's offices and pharmacies dispense shots."
Shorter
Main claim: Washing your hands frequently is the most important step to staying well during cold season.
Supports for the claim:
1. Cold and flu viruses are transmitted through hands and can be picked up from contaminated surfaces.
2. Touching your nose or rubbing your eyes after being in public places can quickly transfer germs to your hands.
The main claim of the passage is that washing your hands frequently is the most important step to stay well during the cold season. Some examples of supports for that claim include the fact that colds and flu are transmitted through your hands, and various surfaces like doorknobs, handles, and public phones can carry viruses and bacteria.
A sentence in the second paragraph that contains an irrelevant detail is: "Healthy eating, drinking plenty of fluids, and getting enough sleep are also important guards against winter illness." This sentence introduces a different topic of preventive measures for winter illnesses, which is not directly relevant to the main claim about washing hands.