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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 927 · 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.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) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  3. 3.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  8. 8.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.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) False (b) True
  10. 10.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  13. 13.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  15. 15.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 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
  17. 17.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  18. 18.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  19. 19.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  21. 21.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) loud and long (c) relevant and reliable (d) old and vague
  23. 23.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.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
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  28. 28.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  31. 31.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  32. 32.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  34. 34.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.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
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  39. 39.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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