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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 10 · 40 questions
TalentJR

Debater's tip (Relevant, specific, reliable): Relevant: does it talk about the topic of the motion? Specific: does it say exactly who, what, where or how many? “30 of 40 students” beats “lots of students”. Reliable: can we trust where it came from? Records, textbooks and official bodies beat rumours and unsigned posts.

NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
  1. 1.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) funny and short (c) old and vague (d) loud and long
  3. 3.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  4. 4.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  10. 10.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  11. 11.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  14. 14.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) the city water board (c) a guess (d) a chat forward
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  38. 38.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable

Answer key

  1. weak evidence
  2. relevant and reliable
  3. 30 of 40 students
  4. False
  5. not relevant
  6. weak evidence
  7. True
  8. False
  9. not specific
  10. not relevant
  11. False
  12. check where it came from
  13. not reliable
  14. False
  15. the city water board
  16. strong evidence
  17. strong evidence
  18. True
  19. False
  20. False
  21. True
  22. True
  23. not specific
  24. weak evidence
  25. weak evidence
  26. weak evidence
  27. True
  28. True
  29. True
  30. True
  31. True
  32. True
  33. not relevant
  34. weak evidence
  35. strong evidence
  36. False
  37. strong evidence
  38. False
  39. strong evidence
  40. not reliable

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