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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 194 · 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) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a guess (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  8. 8.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
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  12. 12.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) loud and long
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  18. 18.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.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) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.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
  31. 31.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  35. 35.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  40. 40.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) make it bigger

Answer key

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

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