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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 408 · 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.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  2. 2.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.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) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  5. 5.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  10. 10.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  14. 14.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.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) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) funny and short (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  19. 19.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
  20. 20.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  23. 23.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) hide the source (c) make it bigger (d) round it to 100
  27. 27.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  30. 30.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
  31. 31.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  33. 33.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  35. 35.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) the city water board (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  36. 36.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  38. 38.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  40. 40.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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