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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 283 · 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: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  5. 5.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  7. 7.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.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
  9. 9.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) the city water board (c) a chat forward (d) an unsigned poster
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  13. 13.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  19. 19.🔎 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
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) check where it came from (c) make it bigger (d) round it to 100
  25. 25.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  28. 28.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) relevant and reliable (c) funny and short (d) loud and long
  29. 29.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  30. 30.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  34. 34.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  38. 38.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  40. 40.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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