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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 228 · 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: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  6. 6.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  9. 9.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  10. 10.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  19. 19.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.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
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.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) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) the city water board (c) a guess (d) a chat forward
  26. 26.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  29. 29.🔎 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
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  31. 31.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.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
  35. 35.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  38. 38.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) make it bigger (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source

Answer key

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

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