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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 970 · 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.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) hide the source (b) round it to 100 (c) make it bigger (d) check where it came from
  2. 2.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A forwarded message says so.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  3. 3.True or false: “My cousin said so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  4. 4.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a fact from our science textbook? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.True or false: “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  8. 8.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  9. 9.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  10. 10.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.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) True (b) False
  12. 12.True or false: “Lots of people think so.” is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “Lots of people think so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  14. 14.True or false: “My neighbour heard it from someone.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  16. 16.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “Studies show things.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  17. 17.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) lots of students (b) 30 of 40 students
  19. 19.🔎 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
  20. 20.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  21. 21.True or false: “A website with no name says so.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not reliable (b) not relevant (c) not specific
  24. 24.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.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
  26. 26.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) True (b) False
  27. 27.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  29. 29.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) a guess (c) the city water board (d) an unsigned poster
  32. 32.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) not relevant (c) very strong
  33. 33.True or false: “A forwarded message says so.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school nurse’s record of sick days? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  35. 35.True or false: “It is good for many reasons.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  36. 36.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  37. 37.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
  38. 38.True or false: the attendance register for the whole year is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  39. 39.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  40. 40.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “My neighbour heard it from someone.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant

Answer key

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

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