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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 686 · 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: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 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
  5. 5.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) round it to 100 (c) hide the source (d) make it bigger
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  11. 11.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  13. 13.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
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  15. 15.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  18. 18.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  24. 24.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  28. 28.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  29. 29.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.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
  33. 33.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  39. 39.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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