← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 499 · 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: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  3. 3.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) make it bigger (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a guess (c) the city water board (d) a chat forward
  6. 6.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  11. 11.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  17. 17.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  18. 18.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  21. 21.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  23. 23.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  27. 27.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  29. 29.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) funny and short (c) old and vague (d) loud and long
  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) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  34. 34.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
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable

Answer key

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

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