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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 888 · 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: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  3. 3.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  6. 6.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  10. 10.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  13. 13.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  19. 19.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  22. 22.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  25. 25.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) relevant and reliable (c) loud and long (d) funny and short
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  30. 30.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
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  32. 32.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) hide the source (c) check where it came from (d) round it to 100
  34. 34.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) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  37. 37.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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