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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 125 · 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 relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) relevant and reliable (c) funny and short (d) loud and long
  5. 5.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) True (b) False
  6. 6.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) check where it came from (c) round it to 100 (d) make it bigger
  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.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  9. 9.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) a chat forward (c) the city water board (d) an unsigned poster
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.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
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  16. 16.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  21. 21.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  24. 24.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  25. 25.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  28. 28.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  33. 33.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.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
  35. 35.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  39. 39.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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