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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 13 · 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.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  10. 10.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  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.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  15. 15.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) the city water board (d) a chat forward
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) hide the source (c) make it bigger (d) round it to 100
  20. 20.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  28. 28.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.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
  35. 35.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
  36. 36.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  39. 39.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) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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