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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 88 · 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: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  7. 7.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  11. 11.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  15. 15.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.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
  17. 17.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) check where it came from (c) hide the source (d) make it bigger
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  21. 21.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  23. 23.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  26. 26.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
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  28. 28.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) a guess
  30. 30.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) 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: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  34. 34.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  39. 39.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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