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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 128 · 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 reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  2. 2.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) funny and short (c) old and vague (d) loud and long
  3. 3.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.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
  6. 6.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.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) True (b) False
  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: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  12. 12.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) a guess (c) the city water board (d) an unsigned poster
  13. 13.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  16. 16.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  17. 17.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.🔎 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
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  24. 24.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) make it bigger
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) not relevant (c) very specific
  29. 29.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  32. 32.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) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.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) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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