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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 165 · 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: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  10. 10.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  13. 13.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  16. 16.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  20. 20.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  22. 22.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  25. 25.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) loud and long (c) relevant and reliable (d) old and vague
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  28. 28.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  30. 30.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) a guess (c) the city water board (d) an unsigned poster
  31. 31.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  35. 35.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  37. 37.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.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

Answer key

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

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