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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 59 · 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 it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  10. 10.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) hide the source (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  11. 11.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a guess (c) a chat forward (d) an unsigned poster
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) loud and long (c) old and vague (d) funny and short
  18. 18.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) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.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
  27. 27.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
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  31. 31.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  35. 35.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  37. 37.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.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

Answer key

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

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