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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 311 · 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 is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  5. 5.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.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
  7. 7.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.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
  10. 10.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
  11. 11.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
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  13. 13.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  19. 19.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) funny and short (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  20. 20.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  22. 22.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  24. 24.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  25. 25.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  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: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) check where it came from (c) hide the source (d) make it bigger
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  35. 35.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  37. 37.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  39. 39.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

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