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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 332 · 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) an unsigned poster (b) a chat forward (c) a guess (d) the city water board
  2. 2.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  13. 13.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  14. 14.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.🔎 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
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  21. 21.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  30. 30.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  32. 32.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  34. 34.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.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) True (b) False
  37. 37.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
  38. 38.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific

Answer key

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

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