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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 969 · 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: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  2. 2.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  3. 3.True or false: figures from the city water board is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I saw it on a random poster once.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  6. 6.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) check where it came from (c) round it to 100 (d) make it bigger
  7. 7.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) an unsigned poster (b) a chat forward (c) the city water board (d) a guess
  9. 9.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  12. 12.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  14. 14.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  15. 15.True or false: one friend’s guess is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔎 What makes evidence strong? (a) funny and short (b) loud and long (c) old and vague (d) relevant and reliable
  17. 17.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  18. 18.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  19. 19.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  23. 23.🔎 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
  24. 24.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
  25. 25.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.True or false: In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  29. 29.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Lots of students like it.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  30. 30.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A website with no name says so.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific
  31. 31.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) False (b) True
  32. 32.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  33. 33.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) True (b) False
  34. 34.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  37. 37.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  38. 38.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) not relevant (b) very specific (c) very strong
  39. 39.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not reliable (c) not specific

Answer key

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

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