← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 740 · 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: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  5. 5.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  14. 14.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  20. 20.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  21. 21.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  23. 23.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) the city water board (c) a guess (d) a chat forward
  27. 27.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.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
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  34. 34.🔎 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
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  40. 40.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

Answer key

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

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