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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 68 · 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) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  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) True (b) False
  3. 3.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  7. 7.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  9. 9.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) funny and short
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  17. 17.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.🔎 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
  21. 21.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  24. 24.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  26. 26.🔎 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
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  28. 28.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  31. 31.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.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) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  34. 34.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  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.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  40. 40.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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