Debate Worksheet: Motions and Sides

Debate lesson 9: The motion, proposition and opposition · Set 231 · 40 questions

Debater's tip (Two sides, one motion): Motion: the statement being debated, often starting “This House believes…” or “This House would…”. Proposition: for the motion, speaks first, defines the key words, ends “I beg to propose”. Opposition: against it, answers the proposition, ends “I beg to oppose”. Good debate topics for students have two real sides; a plain fact is not debatable.

1. 1.📜 A good motion must have… (a) a hidden answer (b) two sides to argue (c) one right answer (d) no clear meaning
2. 2.True or false: “This House believes a week has seven days.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.True or false: “This House believes summer holidays are too long.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
4. 4.Which of these is true of the opposition? (a) must prove the motion (b) speaks first (c) says “I beg to propose” (d) must disprove the motion
5. 5.True or false: “This House would ban homework at weekends.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) True (b) False
6. 6.⚖️ Which side must prove the motion? (a) the opposition (b) the proposition
7. 7.True or false: “This House believes every school needs a garden.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
8. 8.⚖️ Which side is for the motion? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) defines the key words (b) says “I beg to oppose” (c) must disprove the motion (d) answers the proposition
10. 10.⚖️ Which side must disprove the motion? (a) the opposition (b) the proposition
11. 11.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes a cricket team has eleven players.” (a) debatable (b) not debatable
12. 12.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes spiders have eight legs.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
13. 13.True or false: “This House believes every school needs a garden.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) may test the definition (b) speaks first (c) says “I beg to propose” (d) must prove the motion
15. 15.⚖️ Which side defines the key words? (a) the opposition (b) the proposition
16. 16.True or false: “This House believes spiders have eight legs.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) says “I beg to propose” (b) defines the key words (c) answers the proposition (d) speaks first
18. 18.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes board games beat screen games.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
19. 19.⚖️ Which side says “I beg to propose”? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
20. 20.⚖️ Which side may test the definition? (a) the opposition (b) the proposition
21. 21.⚖️ Which side answers the proposition? (a) the opposition (b) the proposition
22. 22.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) says “I beg to propose” (b) may test the definition (c) says “I beg to oppose” (d) must disprove the motion
23. 23.📜 The team that argues for the motion is called… (a) the audience (b) the judges (c) the proposition (d) the opposition
24. 24.True or false: “This House would ban homework at weekends.” is a debatable motion. (a) True (b) False
25. 25.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) is against the motion (b) speaks first (c) may test the definition (d) answers the proposition
26. 26.True or false: “This House believes board games beat screen games.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) True (b) False
27. 27.True or false: “This House believes a week has seven days.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House would ban homework at weekends.” (a) debatable (b) not debatable
29. 29.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House would replace exams with projects.” (a) debatable (b) not debatable
30. 30.True or false: “This House would replace exams with projects.” is a debatable motion. (a) True (b) False
31. 31.True or false: “This House would make cooking a school subject.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
32. 32.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) is for the motion (b) answers the proposition (c) says “I beg to oppose” (d) must disprove the motion
33. 33.Which of these is true of the opposition? (a) says “I beg to propose” (b) is against the motion (c) defines the key words (d) is for the motion
34. 34.True or false: “This House believes a cricket team has eleven players.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) True (b) False
35. 35.⚖️ Which side speaks first? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
36. 36.📜 Which words often begin a debate motion? (a) “Dear diary…” (b) “Once upon a time…” (c) “This House…” (d) “Breaking news…”
37. 37.📜 The team that argues against the motion is called… (a) the audience (b) the proposition (c) the judges (d) the opposition
38. 38.True or false: “This House would make homework optional.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) is for the motion (b) speaks first (c) must prove the motion (d) is against the motion
40. 40.📜 What is a motion in a debate? (a) the last speech (b) the topic statement (c) the winner’s prize (d) the timekeeper

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