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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 378 · 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: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) loud and long (c) old and vague (d) relevant and reliable
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 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
  14. 14.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) make it bigger (c) check where it came from (d) round it to 100
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  19. 19.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.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
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  23. 23.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 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
  25. 25.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.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
  27. 27.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.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
  29. 29.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  31. 31.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  34. 34.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
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  38. 38.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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