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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 309 · 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) the city water board (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.🔎 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
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) check where it came from (c) hide the source (d) round it to 100
  8. 8.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.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
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  23. 23.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  24. 24.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.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) True (b) False
  27. 27.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  31. 31.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) loud and long (c) relevant and reliable (d) old and vague
  33. 33.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.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
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  38. 38.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

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