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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 900 · 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? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) loud and long (b) funny and short (c) relevant and reliable (d) old and vague
  11. 11.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) the city water board (c) an unsigned poster (d) a chat forward
  12. 12.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) not relevant (c) very specific
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  15. 15.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) check where it came from (c) round it to 100 (d) hide the source
  18. 18.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  21. 21.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  24. 24.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  27. 27.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  31. 31.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  35. 35.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  38. 38.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence

Answer key

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

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