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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 760 · 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? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  12. 12.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) loud and long (c) relevant and reliable (d) funny and short
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  14. 14.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  16. 16.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  21. 21.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  28. 28.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) make it bigger (c) check where it came from (d) round it to 100
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  32. 32.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) the city water board (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  39. 39.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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