← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

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

Answer key

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

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