Debate Worksheet: Motions and Sides

Debate lesson 9: The motion, proposition and opposition · Set 615 · 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.True or false: “This House believes a week has seven days.” is a debatable motion. (a) True (b) False
2. 2.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) must disprove the motion (b) answers the proposition (c) may test the definition (d) is for the motion
3. 3.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes a cricket team has eleven players.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
4. 4.⚖️ Which side speaks first? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
5. 5.⚖️ Which side says “I beg to oppose”? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) answers the proposition (b) must disprove the motion (c) says “I beg to propose” (d) may test the definition
7. 7.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House would ban homework at weekends.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
8. 8.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) may test the definition (b) says “I beg to oppose” (c) is against the motion (d) defines the key words
9. 9.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) is against the motion (b) says “I beg to oppose” (c) speaks first (d) answers the proposition
10. 10.Which of these is true of the opposition? (a) must prove the motion (b) answers the proposition (c) is for the motion (d) speaks first
11. 11.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) must disprove the motion (b) says “I beg to oppose” (c) is against the motion (d) must prove the motion
12. 12.Which of these is true of the opposition? (a) must prove the motion (b) must disprove the motion (c) speaks first (d) says “I beg to propose”
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) may test the definition (b) defines the key words (c) is against the motion (d) says “I beg to oppose”
14. 14.⚖️ Which side is against the motion? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
15. 15.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House would give every class a pet.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) defines the key words (b) must prove the motion (c) says “I beg to oppose” (d) is for the motion
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) must prove the motion (b) says “I beg to propose” (c) must disprove the motion (d) speaks first
18. 18.True or false: “This House believes a year has twelve months.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
19. 19.📜 A good motion must have… (a) a hidden answer (b) one right answer (c) two sides to argue (d) no clear meaning
20. 20.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes every school needs a garden.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
21. 21.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) answers the proposition (b) must disprove the motion (c) is for the motion (d) is against the motion
22. 22.True or false: “This House would make homework optional.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
23. 23.📜 What is a motion in a debate? (a) the winner’s prize (b) the topic statement (c) the timekeeper (d) the last speech
24. 24.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House would make cooking a school subject.” (a) debatable (b) not debatable
25. 25.True or false: “This House believes spiders have eight legs.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
26. 26.⚖️ Which side must disprove the motion? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
27. 27.📜 The team that argues for the motion is called… (a) the audience (b) the opposition (c) the proposition (d) the judges
28. 28.True or false: “This House believes every school needs a garden.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
29. 29.📜 The team that argues against the motion is called… (a) the audience (b) the proposition (c) the opposition (d) the judges
30. 30.True or false: “This House would make cooking a school subject.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) must disprove the motion (b) is against the motion (c) says “I beg to propose” (d) says “I beg to oppose”
32. 32.Which of these is true of the opposition? (a) defines the key words (b) speaks first (c) says “I beg to propose” (d) is against the motion
33. 33.True or false: “This House would make homework optional.” is a debatable motion. (a) True (b) False
34. 34.⚖️ Which side defines the key words? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
35. 35.📜 Which words often begin a debate motion? (a) “This House…” (b) “Once upon a time…” (c) “Dear diary…” (d) “Breaking news…”
36. 36.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes a week has seven days.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
37. 37.True or false: “This House believes ice is frozen water.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
38. 38.True or false: “This House would give every class a pet.” is a debatable motion. (a) True (b) False
39. 39.True or false: “This House would ban homework at weekends.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.True or false: “This House believes board games beat screen games.” is a debatable motion. (a) True (b) False

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