← Strong and weak evidence lesson New set →

Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 896 · 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.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) a chat forward (c) the city water board (d) an unsigned poster
  8. 8.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  9. 9.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 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
  11. 11.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  13. 13.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  21. 21.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  24. 24.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  26. 26.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  29. 29.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
  30. 30.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  31. 31.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 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
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

Free debate lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/debate-for-students