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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 133 · 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.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) hide the source (d) check where it came from
  5. 5.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  7. 7.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  10. 10.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  21. 21.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  28. 28.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
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  30. 30.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  32. 32.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) the city water board (c) an unsigned poster (d) a guess
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  39. 39.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) funny and short
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific

Answer key

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

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