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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 317 · 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.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) funny and short (c) old and vague (d) relevant and reliable
  6. 6.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  17. 17.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  22. 22.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) make it bigger
  25. 25.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  27. 27.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.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
  31. 31.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 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
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  39. 39.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
  40. 40.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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