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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 943 · 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: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) loud and long (c) old and vague (d) relevant and reliable
  5. 5.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  7. 7.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  8. 8.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) the city water board (b) an unsigned poster (c) a guess (d) a chat forward
  9. 9.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  10. 10.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  14. 14.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.🔎 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
  18. 18.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  19. 19.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “It is good for many reasons.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  22. 22.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  23. 23.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  26. 26.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is strong evidence. (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 specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  31. 31.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  33. 33.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  34. 34.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  35. 35.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  37. 37.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  40. 40.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

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

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