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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 435 · 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: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) relevant and reliable (c) loud and long (d) old and vague
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  5. 5.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  7. 7.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 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
  15. 15.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  22. 22.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.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
  28. 28.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) a guess (c) an unsigned poster (d) the city water board
  31. 31.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  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.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  35. 35.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  38. 38.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  39. 39.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

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