← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 441 · 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.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.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
  3. 3.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  7. 7.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  13. 13.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) hide the source (d) check where it came from
  17. 17.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  22. 22.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  26. 26.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
  27. 27.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  31. 31.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  34. 34.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  35. 35.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) loud and long (c) relevant and reliable (d) old and vague
  39. 39.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  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) False (b) True

Answer key

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

Free debate lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/debate-for-students