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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 792 · 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: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.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) True (b) False
  4. 4.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
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) relevant and reliable (c) loud and long (d) old and vague
  11. 11.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  13. 13.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  15. 15.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  20. 20.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  22. 22.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  27. 27.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) the city water board (c) a chat forward (d) a guess
  30. 30.🔎 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
  31. 31.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  35. 35.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  39. 39.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) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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