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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 181 · 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 fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  7. 7.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  8. 8.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  9. 9.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) hide the source (c) make it bigger (d) round it to 100
  10. 10.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) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  12. 12.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  19. 19.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  23. 23.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) funny and short
  24. 24.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  28. 28.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.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
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  33. 33.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  35. 35.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  39. 39.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific

Answer key

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

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