← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 158 · 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: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.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) False (b) True
  6. 6.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  10. 10.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 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
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  13. 13.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  15. 15.🔎 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
  16. 16.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  18. 18.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  20. 20.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
  21. 21.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.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) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  26. 26.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  29. 29.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 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
  32. 32.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) funny and short
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  34. 34.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  38. 38.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
  39. 39.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
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

Free debate lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/debate-for-students