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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 683 · 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 fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) the city water board (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  5. 5.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  8. 8.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  15. 15.🔎 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
  16. 16.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
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  20. 20.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  27. 27.🔎 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
  28. 28.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  33. 33.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  36. 36.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.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
  39. 39.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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