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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 66 · 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.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  2. 2.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  4. 4.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) hide the source (d) check where it came from
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  8. 8.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.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
  10. 10.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.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
  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 survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  19. 19.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  22. 22.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
  23. 23.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 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
  29. 29.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) funny and short (c) relevant and reliable (d) old and vague
  31. 31.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  35. 35.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) a chat forward (c) the city water board (d) an unsigned poster
  37. 37.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable

Answer key

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

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