← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 360 · 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.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.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
  4. 4.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) loud and long
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.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
  8. 8.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
  9. 9.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  12. 12.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
  13. 13.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  15. 15.🔎 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
  16. 16.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  19. 19.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  23. 23.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.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
  26. 26.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  29. 29.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  33. 33.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
  34. 34.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  35. 35.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  37. 37.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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