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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 797 · 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: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) make it bigger
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  5. 5.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  9. 9.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  12. 12.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a chat forward (c) the city water board (d) a guess
  17. 17.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  20. 20.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  24. 24.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
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  26. 26.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  28. 28.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  32. 32.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  35. 35.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.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
  37. 37.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  39. 39.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence

Answer key

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

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