← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 621 · 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.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) loud and long
  3. 3.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  5. 5.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  9. 9.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) False (b) True
  10. 10.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  14. 14.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  16. 16.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) an unsigned poster (c) a guess (d) the city water board
  18. 18.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  22. 22.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  27. 27.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  30. 30.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) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  38. 38.🔎 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
  39. 39.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

Free debate lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/debate-for-students