Question

scientific fact, sadly, it is just a myth.
scientists from clemson university in south carolina tested the five - second rule in 2007. first, they covered three different floor surfaces with salmonella bacteria. salmonella, which is often found on raw chicken, is a major cause of food poisoning. after coating the floors in salmonella, they dropped bologna sandwiches on these contaminated surfaces. finally, they measured the amount of bacteria on the food.
the scientists discovered that food that had been on the floor for just five seconds could have up to 8,000 bacteria on it. food that was left for one minute had ten times that amount—up to 80,000 bacteria. because you can get food poisoning from as few as ten salmonella bacteria, even a small amount of salmonella can be dangerous. this means that the five - second rule is simply not true.
in addition to amount of time food has spent on the floor, the location of the floor itself also plays an important part in how many bacteria may be transferred to your food. surprisingly, many outdoor locations are actually cleaner than some places inside your house. according to dr. harley rotbart, a professor at the university of colorado school of medicine, the sidewalk is likely to be cleaner than your kitchen floor. rotbart argues that the germs from raw meats that are probably in your kitchen are far more dangerous than the bacteria typically found on pavement. unsurprisingly enough, the bathroom floor is also likely to have more dangerous bacteria on it than the sidewalk.
the type of food you have dropped can also affect the number of bacteria on the food. foods that are high in salt or sugar (but low in water content—like cookies or crackers) grow fewer bacteria on them after they have come into contact with the floor (with a higher water content, such as cooked pasta or sliced fruit, pick up a larger quantity of bacteria).
know beforehand: do not eat the answer! for your dropped chocolate chip cookie? if you dropped it on the floor, the answer is: the five - second rule might keep you safe. however, if you dropped it...
based on the information in the passage, which food would likely contain the highest level of dangerous bacteria?
a a piping hot pretzel that fell on the kitchen floor
b a cookie that fell on the sidewalk
c a piece of banana that fell on the kitchen floor
d a potato chip that fell on the sidewalk

Explanation:

To determine the food with the highest dangerous bacteria, we analyze the passage:

1. The passage states that food low in water content (like cookies, crackers) and food with higher moisture (after contact with floor) affects bacteria count, and kitchen floors have more dangerous bacteria than sidewalks.
2. Option A: Piping hot pretzel has high temperature, which likely kills bacteria.
3. Option B: Cookie fell on sidewalk, but sidewalk is cleaner than kitchen floor.
4. Option C: Banana (moist) fell on kitchen floor. Kitchen floor has more dangerous bacteria, and moist food can have more bacteria transfer.
5. Option D: Potato chip (low water) fell on sidewalk, less dangerous than kitchen - floor - dropped moist food.

So, the banana (Option C) is most likely to have the highest dangerous bacteria.

Answer:

C. a piece of banana that fell on the kitchen floor