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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 801 · 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 weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  6. 6.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  8. 8.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) make it bigger (c) hide the source (d) check where it came from
  9. 9.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) the city water board (c) a chat forward (d) an unsigned poster
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  12. 12.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  15. 15.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) funny and short
  16. 16.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  19. 19.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  21. 21.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  23. 23.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  27. 27.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  31. 31.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  32. 32.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
  33. 33.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  38. 38.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  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) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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