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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 149 · 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 survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) make it bigger (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  10. 10.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a guess (c) the city water board (d) a chat forward
  12. 12.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) True (b) False
  13. 13.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) funny and short
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  18. 18.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  19. 19.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  22. 22.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  28. 28.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  32. 32.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  36. 36.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  38. 38.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence

Answer key

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

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