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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 207 · 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: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  2. 2.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  3. 3.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) loud and long (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  14. 14.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
  15. 15.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  16. 16.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.🔎 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
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  37. 37.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.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
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  40. 40.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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