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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 326 · 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: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) funny and short (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  8. 8.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  11. 11.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  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: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.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
  17. 17.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a guess (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  18. 18.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  20. 20.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  22. 22.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  24. 24.🔎 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
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  27. 27.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  29. 29.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.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
  37. 37.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.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

Answer key

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

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