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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 421 · 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 forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 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
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  6. 6.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) a guess
  10. 10.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) relevant and reliable (c) old and vague (d) funny and short
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  14. 14.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.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) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  18. 18.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  20. 20.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.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
  24. 24.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  33. 33.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  36. 36.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  39. 39.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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