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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 960 · 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: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  2. 2.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a guess (b) an unsigned poster (c) the city water board (d) a chat forward
  3. 3.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  6. 6.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Everybody knows it.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  9. 9.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  11. 11.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.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
  14. 14.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) old and vague (c) loud and long (d) relevant and reliable
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  16. 16.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  17. 17.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  18. 18.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Some people say it helps somehow.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  24. 24.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  27. 27.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  30. 30.True or false: a story you are not sure about is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) make it bigger (b) hide the source (c) round it to 100 (d) check where it came from
  34. 34.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: “I saw it on a random poster once.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very strong (c) very specific
  40. 40.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True

Answer key

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

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