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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 737 · 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.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  2. 2.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) hide the source (d) check where it came from
  3. 3.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) loud and long (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  5. 5.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  8. 8.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  16. 16.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
  17. 17.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) a chat forward (c) an unsigned poster (d) the city water board
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  22. 22.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.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) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  28. 28.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  33. 33.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  36. 36.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) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  39. 39.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  40. 40.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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