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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 552 · 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: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  4. 4.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  5. 5.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) relevant and reliable (c) old and vague (d) loud and long
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.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) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  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.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  15. 15.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  20. 20.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
  21. 21.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) check where it came from (c) round it to 100 (d) make it bigger
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  23. 23.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  24. 24.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  28. 28.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  31. 31.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  33. 33.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  38. 38.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant

Answer key

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

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