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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 789 · 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.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) loud and long (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  2. 2.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a guess (c) a chat forward (d) an unsigned poster
  4. 4.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  11. 11.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  15. 15.🔎 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
  16. 16.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
  17. 17.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  22. 22.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) round it to 100 (c) hide the source (d) make it bigger
  23. 23.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  27. 27.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  31. 31.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  33. 33.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  37. 37.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant

Answer key

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

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