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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 287 · 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? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  2. 2.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.🔎 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
  5. 5.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.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
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  12. 12.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  17. 17.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  21. 21.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.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
  24. 24.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) a guess (c) the city water board (d) an unsigned poster
  25. 25.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  29. 29.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  31. 31.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  33. 33.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) relevant and reliable (c) old and vague (d) funny and short
  34. 34.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (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) True (b) False
  36. 36.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
  37. 37.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable

Answer key

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

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