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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 911 · 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 reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  2. 2.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  3. 3.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) hide the source (c) check where it came from (d) make it bigger
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  14. 14.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) a guess (c) a chat forward (d) an unsigned poster
  15. 15.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  19. 19.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  22. 22.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  23. 23.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
  24. 24.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  25. 25.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) old and vague (b) loud and long (c) funny and short (d) relevant and reliable
  26. 26.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.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) True (b) False
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  34. 34.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  36. 36.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  38. 38.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  40. 40.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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