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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 717 · 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: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a chat forward (c) an unsigned poster (d) a guess
  4. 4.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
  5. 5.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) check where it came from (c) hide the source (d) round it to 100
  6. 6.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  18. 18.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) funny and short (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  26. 26.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  29. 29.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  32. 32.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.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
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence

Answer key

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

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