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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 367 · 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: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.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
  3. 3.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  11. 11.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) not relevant (c) very specific
  12. 12.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  16. 16.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  18. 18.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  22. 22.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  35. 35.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  38. 38.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  40. 40.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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