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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 249 · 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.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) funny and short (c) relevant and reliable (d) old and vague
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.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
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) a chat forward (c) the city water board (d) an unsigned poster
  10. 10.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) make it bigger (c) round it to 100 (d) hide the source
  11. 11.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  16. 16.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  18. 18.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.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
  22. 22.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.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
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  30. 30.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  37. 37.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
  38. 38.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
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

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