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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 333 · 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) the city water board (b) a guess (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  2. 2.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  4. 4.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  5. 5.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) make it bigger (c) round it to 100 (d) hide the source
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) funny and short (c) loud and long (d) old and vague
  8. 8.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 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
  12. 12.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  21. 21.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 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
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.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) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.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) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  34. 34.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  38. 38.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.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
  40. 40.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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