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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 576 · 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: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) the city water board (d) a chat forward
  6. 6.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.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) True (b) False
  9. 9.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
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  15. 15.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) check where it came from (c) make it bigger (d) hide the source
  16. 16.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (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: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  28. 28.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  31. 31.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) funny and short
  32. 32.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  34. 34.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  36. 36.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.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) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence

Answer key

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

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