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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 153 · 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: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  4. 4.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  5. 5.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) relevant and reliable (c) loud and long (d) old and vague
  7. 7.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  10. 10.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.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
  17. 17.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) an unsigned poster (c) a guess (d) the city water board
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  19. 19.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.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
  22. 22.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) check where it came from (c) hide the source (d) round it to 100
  25. 25.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
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  27. 27.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  30. 30.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  33. 33.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  35. 35.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  37. 37.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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