← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 104 · 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.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  8. 8.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) relevant and reliable (c) funny and short (d) loud and long
  12. 12.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) hide the source (c) check where it came from (d) make it bigger
  17. 17.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  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: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a guess (c) a chat forward (d) an unsigned poster
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  26. 26.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  28. 28.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  31. 31.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  36. 36.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  38. 38.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

Free debate lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/debate-for-students