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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 761 · 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? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  2. 2.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  4. 4.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  10. 10.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  11. 11.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  14. 14.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.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
  17. 17.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  19. 19.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  22. 22.🔎 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
  23. 23.🔎 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
  24. 24.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.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
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  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.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  30. 30.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  34. 34.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.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
  38. 38.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  40. 40.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

Answer key

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

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