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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 394 · 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: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 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
  3. 3.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  4. 4.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) old and vague (c) funny and short (d) loud and long
  5. 5.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
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) check where it came from (c) make it bigger (d) round it to 100
  10. 10.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  12. 12.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
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) the city water board (c) a guess (d) an unsigned poster
  17. 17.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.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
  19. 19.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  22. 22.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  27. 27.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
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  29. 29.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.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
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  36. 36.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  40. 40.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

Answer key

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

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