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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 481 · 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: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) not relevant (c) very specific
  4. 4.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  5. 5.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  6. 6.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.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
  9. 9.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.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
  11. 11.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  14. 14.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) check where it came from (c) hide the source (d) make it bigger
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  16. 16.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  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: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  26. 26.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  29. 29.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.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) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  35. 35.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  37. 37.🔎 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
  38. 38.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
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  40. 40.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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