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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 919 · 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? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.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
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.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) True (b) False
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) funny and short (c) loud and long (d) old and vague
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  14. 14.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a chat forward (c) a guess (d) the city water board
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  22. 22.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
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  27. 27.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  30. 30.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) make it bigger (c) round it to 100 (d) check where it came from
  33. 33.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  40. 40.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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