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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 955 · 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 saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  3. 3.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  4. 4.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  7. 7.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  8. 8.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  12. 12.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  17. 17.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) funny and short
  18. 18.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  20. 20.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  21. 21.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  22. 22.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
  23. 23.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) a chat forward (d) the city water board
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  26. 26.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  27. 27.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very strong (b) very specific (c) not relevant
  29. 29.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  32. 32.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) check where it came from (b) round it to 100 (c) hide the source (d) make it bigger
  37. 37.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  38. 38.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
  39. 39.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) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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