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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 134 · 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: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) relevant and reliable (c) loud and long (d) old and vague
  5. 5.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) not relevant (c) very specific
  7. 7.🔎 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
  8. 8.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  11. 11.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  15. 15.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  22. 22.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) the city water board (c) a chat forward (d) a guess
  23. 23.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — 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 school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  28. 28.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  32. 32.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (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) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  36. 36.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  38. 38.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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