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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 109 · 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.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  6. 6.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
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  9. 9.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  13. 13.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) make it bigger (c) round it to 100 (d) hide the source
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  19. 19.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  27. 27.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  30. 30.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.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
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  37. 37.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  40. 40.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific

Answer key

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

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