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 cary 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 3-5 sentences, identify the main claim of the passage and explain some examples of support for that claim. identify a sentence in the second paragraph that contains an irrelevant detail.
The main claim of the passage is that washing your hands frequently is the most important step to stay well during the cold season. The passage provides examples of how cold and flu viruses can be transmitted through our hands, including touching contaminated surfaces like doorknobs and phone handles. It also explains how touching our nose or rubbing our eyes can quickly spread germs.
An irrelevant detail in the second paragraph could be the mention of the most common cold virus being the rhinovirus. This detail does not directly support the main claim about the importance of washing hands.