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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 603 · 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: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  5. 5.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a guess (c) the city water board (d) a chat forward
  6. 6.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  12. 12.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
  13. 13.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
  14. 14.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) funny and short (c) relevant and reliable (d) loud and long
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.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
  23. 23.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  34. 34.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  37. 37.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  38. 38.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  40. 40.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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