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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 926 · 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? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  2. 2.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a chat forward (c) the city water board (d) a guess
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  8. 8.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.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
  14. 14.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  18. 18.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) loud and long (c) old and vague (d) relevant and reliable
  26. 26.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  28. 28.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  29. 29.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
  30. 30.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  35. 35.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  39. 39.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) hide the source (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  40. 40.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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