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A Cold from the Cold?

Put a sweater on! Youll catch a cold!

Does this sound familiar to you? I know that this was a common phrase in my house as soon as the
weather got cold. My mother was convinced that bundling up in the winter was the best way to
protect you from getting sick. But is there any truth to this?

Although mothers everywhere may be surprised to hear this, there is actually no scientific evidence
to suggest that being cold can get you sick. Most common illnesses, like the flu, colds, or strep
throat, are caused by viruses or bacteria. Viral and bacterial infections are only spread through
contact with other infected people. If you do not come into contact with a virus or bacteria, then it is
impossible for you to get sick with a cold or the fluwhether or not you are wearing a sweater.

So where did this idea that being cold could make you sick come from? The answer probably dates
back to 1878. French scientist Louis Pasteur discovered that chickens were naturally immune to
anthrax, a deadly disease caused by bacteria. Pasteur believed that the chickens naturally high
body temperatures were responsible for their immunity. He decided to test this theory by placing a
chicken in cold water and then infecting it with anthrax. This chicken became sick with anthrax and
died. Pasteur then ran the experiment a second time, this time warming a chicken in a blanket after
taking it out of the water. This second chicken developed anthrax, but survived. Pasteur concluded
that the cold was responsible for the chickens death. His experiment with chickens then led people
to believe that being cold made you more likely to become sick.

However, when a similar experiment was repeated with human beings instead of chickens, the result
was very different. In the 1950s, researchers in Chicago gathered hundreds of volunteers to assess
the effect of body temperature on the spread of the common cold. In the Chicago experiment,
volunteers were divided into two groups: half of them were kept in a cold room for several hours and
the other half were kept in a warm room. Both groups were exposed to the same type and amount of
germs. The researchers discovered that members of both groups developed colds at the same
ratethe cold group was not, in fact, more likely to become sick than the warm group. Several
similar experiments have been conducted in the years since thenall with the same results. All of
the scientific research has arrived at the same conclusion: being cold does not make it easier for you
to catch a cold.

There is some evidence that people do get sick more often in cold weather, but it has nothing to do
with forgetting to bundle up when it is chilly. When it is cold outside, people tend to stay inside. With
so many people gathered closely together indoors, germs are spread more easily. Colder weather
also often means drier air. It is usually less humid outside in the winter than it is in the summer.
Turning the heat on indoors also dries out the air. There is some evidence to suggest that dry air can
be more likely to make you sick. Dryer air can dry out the mucus in your nose. This mucus is one of
your bodys natural defenses against sickness. When the mucus lining dries out, germs can invade
your body much more easily. Therefore, cold weather might make it more likely for you to get sick,
but the weather itself is not to blame.

Of course, just because cold weather is not responsible for colds and flu does not mean that it is
completely harmless. You can still get hypothermia or frostbiteboth of which can be very
dangerousfrom exposure to cold temperatures. Staying warm may not protect you from a stuffy
nose, but it is still a good idea to bundle up when the temperatures fall.
1) According to the passage, the experiment performed by Louis Pasteur

A. proved that staying warm could prevent human beings from becoming infected with anthrax
B. was done to test Pasteurs theory that chickens could spread disease more quickly if they
were warm
C. caused people to believe that being cold caused sickness
D. suggested that cold chickens were more likely to develop the flu than warm chickens

2) As used in paragraph 5, what is the best synonym for assess?

A. prevent
B. observe
C. ignore
D. change

3) People who live in warm tropical climates are more likely to develop a cold or the flu during the
rainy season. Based on the information in the passage, this is probably because

A. cold and flu germs can live longer in wet places than they can in dry places
B. wet weather thickens the mucus lining in the nose, making it easier to catch colds
C. rainy weather lowers the body temperature, which weakens the bodys immunity
D. in rainy weather, people are more likely to stay indoors

4) According to the passage, cold weather can do all of the following EXCEPT

A. cause stress on your body, which makes your immune system weaker
B. make people want to stay indoors, which helps germs spread between people more quickly
C. lead to serious medical conditions like hypothermia and frostbite
D. dry out your nasal passages, which can make you more likely to get sick

5) The main purpose of this passage is to

A. disprove a commonly-held belief

B. compare and contrast two different scientific experiments
C. provide scientific evidence to support the authors personal opinion
D. educate readers about ways to stay healthy during cold and flu season

6) In your own words, explain why people might be more likely to get sick during times of cold
weather.
 Answers and Explanations

1) C
Core Standard: Key Ideas and Details

In order to answer this detail question correctly, we must find the place in the passage that
discusses Louis Pasteurs experiment. By scanning the passage quickly, we can see that the author
first mentions Louis Pasteur in paragraph 4. According to the author, French scientist Louis Pasteur
believed that chickens were immune to anthrax because they have a high body temperature. He
tested this idea by exposing both warm and cold chickens to anthrax. He found that only the cold
chicken died from anthrax. At the end of the paragraph, the author writes: this experiment with
chickens led people to believe that being cold made you more likely to become sick. Therefore (C)
is correct.

The passage does not provide information to support choices (A), (B), or (D). Therefore they are
incorrect.

2) B
Core Standard: Craft and Structure

assess (verb): to evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of; to measure or calculate.

In paragraph 5, the author writes: In the 1950s, researchers in Chicago gathered hundreds of
volunteers to assess the effect of body temperature on the spread of the common cold. We can use
context clueshints from known words or phrases around the unknown word or phraseto help us
figure out what the word assess most nearly means. In paragraph 4, the author described Louis
Pasteurs experiment with anthrax-infected chickens. In paragraph 5, the author discusses a similar
experiment that involved human beings instead of chickens. The author goes on to describe the
work of researchers in the 1950s who gathered hundreds of volunteers to assess the effect of body
temperature on the spread of the common cold. In this paragraph, the author explains how
researchers tested the theory that a cold person would catch a virus faster than a warm person. The
researchers wanted to assess the effect of cold temperatures on the way a virus spread. In other
words, they wanted to see whether cold people got sick faster than warm people. The researchers
modified (changed) the body temperature of volunteers and then observed the effect of this altered
body temperature on virus transmission. This context shows us that to assess something is to
observe, evaluate, or measure it. Based on this information, we can tell that we are looking for a
word that means observe. Therefore (B) is correct.

Based on the above information, we can tell that we are looking for a word that means observe.
Prevent does not mean observe. Therefore (A) is incorrect.

Based on the above information, we can tell that we are looking for a word that means observe.
Ignore does not mean observe. Therefore (C) is incorrect.

Based on the above information, we can tell that we are looking for a word that means observe.
Change does not mean observe. Therefore (D) is incorrect.
3) D
Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge

People who live in warm tropical climates obviously do not experience cold weather very frequently.
However, they still catch colds and the flu. According to the question, people in warm climates are
most likely to develop a cold or the flu during rainy season. As you might imagine, when it is raining
outside, people are more likely to stay inside. In paragraph 7, the author writes: When it is cold
outside, people tend to stay inside. With so many people gathered closely together indoors, germs
are spread more easily. If people also stay indoors when it is raining, then it is likely that germs
spread more easily during rainy season because more people are inside. Therefore (D) is correct.

The author never says that germs can live longer in wet places than they can in dry places. In fact, in
paragraph 6, the author explains that you there is some evidence to suggest that dry air can be
more likely to make you sick. Therefore (A) is incorrect.

The author never says that thicker mucus in the nose can make you more likely to get sick. In fact, in
paragraph 6, the author explains that when the mucus lining dries out, germs can invade your body
much more easily. A thicker mucus lining would likely give you extra protection from germs.
Therefore (B) is incorrect.

Although rainy weather might lower the body temperature, the author never says that a lower body
temperature weakens your bodys immunity. In fact, the authors main argument in the passage is
that the cold does not make you more likely to get sick from contagious diseases. In paragraph 6, for
example, the author writes: all of the scientific research has arrived at the same conclusion: being
cold does not make it easier for you to catch a cold. Therefore (C) is incorrect.

4) A
Core Standard: Key Ideas and Details

The author never says that cold weather causes stress on your body or that stress weakens your
immune system. Since we are looking for the exception, (A) is correct.

In paragraph 7, the author writes: when it is cold outside, people tend to stay inside. With so many
people gathered closely together indoors, germs are spread more easily. Because people want to
stay indoors when it is cold outside, germs spread more quickly. Since we are looking for the
exception, (B) is incorrect.

In paragraph 8, the author states that you can get hypothermia or frostbiteboth of which can be
very dangerousfrom exposure to cold temperatures. Since we are looking for the exception, (C) is
incorrect.

In paragraph 8, the author explains that cold weather usually leads to dry air. The combination of
less humidity and the use of artificial heat can dry out the air. According to the passage, dryer air
can dry out the mucus in your nose. This mucus is one of your bodys natural defenses against
sickness. When the mucus lining dries out, germs can invade your body much more easily. Since
we are looking for the exception, (D) is incorrect.

5) A
Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge

The beginning of a passage is a good place to look for clues about the main idea. A writer often
introduces the main idea of a passage at the beginning so that the audience will know what they are
about to read. In paragraph 2, the author writes: My mother was convinced that bundling up in the
winter was the best way to protect you from getting sick. But is there any truth to this? These
sentences introduce the main idea of the passagethe author will be explaining whether or not
staying warm in cold weather is a way to protect yourself from illness. By saying that the advice
came from his or her mother and describing it as familiar and common, the author establishes
that the idea that you need to bundle up in the winter to avoid sickness is a commonly-held belief.
Throughout the passage, the author provides scientific evidence to show that this belief is not true.
In paragraph 5, for example, the author describes an experiment that proved that chilled people did
not catch a cold any faster than warm people. The author then states: All of the scientific research
has arrived at the same conclusion: being cold does not make it easier for you to catch a cold. The
main purpose of the passage is to give scientific proof that a commonly-held belief is untrue.
Therefore (A) is correct.

In the passage, the author does describe two different scientific experimentsone by Louis Pasteur
and one by scientists in Chicago. Although there it is certainly possible to compare and contrast the
two experiments, this is not the main purpose of the passage. If this were the main purpose of the
passage, the author would likely spend more than two paragraphs discussing the experiments. The
author would also likely discuss the experiments in the first and last paragraphs. Based on the above
information, we can tell that the main purpose of the passage is to give scientific proof that a
commonly-held belief is untrue. Therefore (B) is incorrect.

Although the author does provide scientific evidence to support an argument (being cold does not
make it easier for you to catch a cold,) this argument is not the authors personal opinion. If the
author had phrased the argument as I do not think that wearing a sweater protects you from getting
sick, then the passage would contain a personal opinion. As it is, however, the author does not
include his or her personal opinion in the passage. Therefore (C) is incorrect.

In the passage, the author tells readers that the only way to catch something like a cold or the flu is
to come into contact with the viruses or bacteria that cause these illnesses. Although readers can
use this information to help themselves stay healthy, the main purpose of this passage is not to
educate readers about ways to stay healthy. If this were the main purpose of the passage, the
author would likely provide readers with several different ideas for how to stay healthy. Based on the
above information, we can tell that the main purpose of the passage is to give scientific proof that a
commonly-held belief is untrue. Therefore (D) is incorrect.