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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

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

Answer key

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

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