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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 115 · 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? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  2. 2.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) the city water board (c) a chat forward (d) an unsigned poster
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.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
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.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
  11. 11.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.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
  18. 18.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  20. 20.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  21. 21.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
  22. 22.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) hide the source (c) check where it came from (d) round it to 100
  26. 26.🔎 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
  27. 27.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  31. 31.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  34. 34.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  36. 36.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  40. 40.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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