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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 539 · 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: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  3. 3.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a chat forward (c) a guess (d) the city water board
  4. 4.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
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) make it bigger (c) check where it came from (d) round it to 100
  7. 7.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  8. 8.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  10. 10.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  13. 13.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  16. 16.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) relevant and reliable (c) loud and long (d) funny and short
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  19. 19.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  21. 21.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  28. 28.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  34. 34.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  40. 40.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

Answer key

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

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