Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 570 · 40 questions

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.

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

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