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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 96 · 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? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  2. 2.True or false: the school nurse’s record of sick days is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  4. 4.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  6. 6.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  7. 7.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  8. 8.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  10. 10.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.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) True (b) False
  12. 12.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  13. 13.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  16. 16.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  17. 17.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  18. 18.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) relevant and reliable (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) funny and short
  19. 19.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  20. 20.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
  21. 21.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  23. 23.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  26. 26.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  27. 27.True or false: In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  29. 29.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  31. 31.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) check where it came from (c) round it to 100 (d) hide the source
  34. 34.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  35. 35.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  36. 36.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  38. 38.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable

Answer key

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

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