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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 94 · 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.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  3. 3.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) relevant and reliable (d) loud and long
  5. 5.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
  6. 6.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  8. 8.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  9. 9.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) an unsigned poster (c) a guess (d) the city water board
  11. 11.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  13. 13.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  16. 16.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) make it bigger (c) check where it came from (d) round it to 100
  18. 18.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
  19. 19.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  20. 20.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  22. 22.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  24. 24.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  26. 26.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.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
  28. 28.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  33. 33.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) True (b) False
  34. 34.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  37. 37.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  40. 40.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence

Answer key

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

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