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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 670 · 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: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  10. 10.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  13. 13.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
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  19. 19.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a guess (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  20. 20.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  28. 28.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  31. 31.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  34. 34.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant

Answer key

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

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