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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 566 · 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.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  4. 4.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  12. 12.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 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
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  20. 20.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) a guess (c) an unsigned poster (d) the city water board
  26. 26.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  31. 31.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) check where it came from (c) round it to 100 (d) hide the source
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  35. 35.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  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.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  40. 40.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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