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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 52 · 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 website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  3. 3.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a chat forward (c) the city water board (d) a guess
  12. 12.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  18. 18.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  20. 20.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  22. 22.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
  23. 23.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  28. 28.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  31. 31.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  33. 33.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  36. 36.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  38. 38.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  40. 40.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable

Answer key

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

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