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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 366 · 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: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) a guess (c) the city water board (d) an unsigned poster
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  7. 7.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  12. 12.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  14. 14.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  24. 24.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) funny and short (c) loud and long (d) old and vague
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  28. 28.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  33. 33.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  37. 37.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  40. 40.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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