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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 216 · 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.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) round it to 100 (c) make it bigger (d) hide the source
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  4. 4.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  13. 13.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) loud and long (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  15. 15.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a guess (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  16. 16.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  19. 19.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.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
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  23. 23.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.🔎 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
  28. 28.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.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
  30. 30.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.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
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  40. 40.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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