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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 865 · 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 story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  7. 7.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) funny and short
  8. 8.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) make it bigger (c) check where it came from (d) hide the source
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  10. 10.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
  11. 11.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  20. 20.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  21. 21.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  24. 24.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  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: 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
  28. 28.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  30. 30.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  33. 33.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  36. 36.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.🔎 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
  40. 40.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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