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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 680 · 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: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  4. 4.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 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
  6. 6.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) loud and long (c) funny and short (d) old and vague
  13. 13.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  19. 19.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  22. 22.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
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  28. 28.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.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
  32. 32.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) hide the source (c) round it to 100 (d) check where it came from
  33. 33.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.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
  36. 36.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
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  39. 39.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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