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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 808 · 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.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) loud and long
  4. 4.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  6. 6.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.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) True (b) False
  8. 8.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.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
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  12. 12.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) hide the source (d) check where it came from
  13. 13.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
  14. 14.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
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  16. 16.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  18. 18.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) a chat forward (c) an unsigned poster (d) the city water board
  20. 20.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  25. 25.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.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
  32. 32.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.🔎 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
  35. 35.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  38. 38.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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