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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 211 · 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: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  15. 15.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.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) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  20. 20.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 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
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  23. 23.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  25. 25.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) the city water board (c) a chat forward (d) a guess
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  28. 28.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
  29. 29.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  30. 30.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) make it bigger (c) hide the source (d) round it to 100
  32. 32.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) loud and long
  37. 37.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
  38. 38.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  40. 40.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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