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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 204 · 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: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  2. 2.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  6. 6.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
  7. 7.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
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.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) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) relevant and reliable (c) funny and short (d) loud and long
  15. 15.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a guess (c) a chat forward (d) an unsigned poster
  17. 17.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) hide the source (c) check where it came from (d) round it to 100
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  22. 22.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.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) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.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
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  37. 37.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  39. 39.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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