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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 533 · 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: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  4. 4.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  6. 6.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  11. 11.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) hide the source (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  13. 13.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  19. 19.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) loud and long (c) relevant and reliable (d) funny and short
  24. 24.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  26. 26.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  29. 29.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  33. 33.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong 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: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.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

Answer key

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

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