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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 483 · 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.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  5. 5.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.🔎 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
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  9. 9.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  14. 14.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  18. 18.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  28. 28.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  31. 31.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
  32. 32.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  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) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  37. 37.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  39. 39.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) check where it came from (c) hide the source (d) round it to 100

Answer key

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

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