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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 178 · 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) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  2. 2.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  4. 4.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a chat forward (c) the city water board (d) a guess
  7. 7.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
  8. 8.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  11. 11.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  15. 15.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  18. 18.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) check where it came from (c) make it bigger (d) hide the source
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  24. 24.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) funny and short (c) old and vague (d) loud and long
  25. 25.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
  26. 26.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  27. 27.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  33. 33.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.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
  36. 36.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  38. 38.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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