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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 298 · 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: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a chat forward (c) a guess (d) the city water board
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  6. 6.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) funny and short (c) relevant and reliable (d) loud and long
  7. 7.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) make it bigger (c) round it to 100 (d) check where it came from
  8. 8.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
  9. 9.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  12. 12.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  18. 18.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
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  23. 23.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 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
  26. 26.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
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  28. 28.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  29. 29.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) not relevant (c) very specific
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  38. 38.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) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

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