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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 844 · 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: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  2. 2.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) relevant and reliable (c) loud and long (d) old and vague
  4. 4.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  8. 8.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  17. 17.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.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
  21. 21.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
  22. 22.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  23. 23.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  26. 26.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  32. 32.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🔎 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
  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) False (b) True
  36. 36.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
  37. 37.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  40. 40.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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