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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 84 · 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: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  6. 6.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  10. 10.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) loud and long (c) old and vague (d) relevant and reliable
  11. 11.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a guess (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  12. 12.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.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
  14. 14.🔎 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
  15. 15.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) round it to 100 (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  21. 21.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  30. 30.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  31. 31.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  34. 34.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.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
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  37. 37.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  40. 40.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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