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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 620 · 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 reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  2. 2.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  3. 3.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.🔎 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
  7. 7.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) an unsigned poster (c) the city water board (d) a guess
  8. 8.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  11. 11.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  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.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.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
  19. 19.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  22. 22.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  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: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  33. 33.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  35. 35.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  39. 39.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
  40. 40.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

Answer key

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

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