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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 223 · 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.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  2. 2.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) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  8. 8.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) True (b) False
  9. 9.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) funny and short (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  11. 11.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
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  14. 14.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  15. 15.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  23. 23.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) the city water board (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  28. 28.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  31. 31.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  34. 34.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
  35. 35.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) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.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
  38. 38.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

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