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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 488 · 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 survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  3. 3.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.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
  9. 9.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  11. 11.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  13. 13.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  15. 15.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  17. 17.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) make it bigger (c) round it to 100 (d) check where it came from
  18. 18.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  20. 20.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  22. 22.🔎 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
  23. 23.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  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) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  30. 30.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  32. 32.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  33. 33.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.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) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a guess (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  38. 38.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) False (b) True
  39. 39.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) relevant and reliable (c) old and vague (d) loud and long
  40. 40.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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