← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 701 · 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: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) funny and short (c) old and vague (d) loud and long
  10. 10.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.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
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.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
  18. 18.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.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
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  22. 22.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  28. 28.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) an unsigned poster (c) a guess (d) a chat forward
  30. 30.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) make it bigger (c) round it to 100 (d) check where it came from
  31. 31.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  33. 33.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group 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.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  37. 37.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
  38. 38.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable

Answer key

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

Free debate lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/debate-for-students