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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 635 · 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: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.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
  3. 3.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.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) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  13. 13.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  16. 16.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  18. 18.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  22. 22.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.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
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.🔎 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
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  28. 28.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) round it to 100 (c) make it bigger (d) hide the source
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  31. 31.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  33. 33.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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