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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 255 · 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.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  2. 2.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  3. 3.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  9. 9.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
  10. 10.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) round it to 100 (c) hide the source (d) make it bigger
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  14. 14.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.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) True (b) False
  17. 17.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) not relevant (c) very specific
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  33. 33.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  36. 36.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.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
  39. 39.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific

Answer key

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

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