← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 312 · 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: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.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) 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: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  10. 10.🔎 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
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) make it bigger (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  16. 16.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) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  18. 18.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.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
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  24. 24.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
  25. 25.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  27. 27.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  29. 29.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  32. 32.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  36. 36.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.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
  39. 39.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
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

Free debate lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/debate-for-students