Debate Worksheet: Motions and Sides

Debate lesson 9: The motion, proposition and opposition · Set 849 · 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.⚖️ Which side says “I beg to propose”? (a) the opposition (b) the proposition
2. 2.📜 A good motion must have… (a) two sides to argue (b) a hidden answer (c) no clear meaning (d) one right answer
3. 3.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes spiders have eight legs.” (a) debatable (b) not debatable
4. 4.📜 The team that argues for the motion is called… (a) the judges (b) the proposition (c) the audience (d) the opposition
5. 5.True or false: “This House believes summer holidays are too long.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) True (b) False
6. 6.⚖️ Which side defines the key words? (a) the opposition (b) the proposition
7. 7.⚖️ Which side may test the definition? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
8. 8.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes every school needs a garden.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) must disprove the motion (b) speaks first (c) defines the key words (d) is for the motion
10. 10.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House would make homework optional.” (a) debatable (b) not debatable
11. 11.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House would give every class a pet.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
12. 12.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) is against the motion (b) says “I beg to propose” (c) must disprove the motion (d) says “I beg to oppose”
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) is against the motion (b) answers the proposition (c) says “I beg to propose” (d) may test the definition
14. 14.True or false: “This House would make homework optional.” is a debatable motion. (a) True (b) False
15. 15.Which of these is true of the opposition? (a) is for the motion (b) may test the definition (c) speaks first (d) defines the key words
16. 16.⚖️ Which side is for the motion? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
17. 17.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) must disprove the motion (b) is for the motion (c) says “I beg to oppose” (d) may test the definition
18. 18.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes a year has twelve months.” (a) debatable (b) not debatable
19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) is for the motion (b) defines the key words (c) answers the proposition (d) speaks first
20. 20.True or false: “This House believes the Sun rises in the east.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
21. 21.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes summer holidays are too long.” (a) debatable (b) not debatable
22. 22.📜 What is a motion in a debate? (a) the winner’s prize (b) the last speech (c) the timekeeper (d) the topic statement
23. 23.Which of these is true of the opposition? (a) answers the proposition (b) is for the motion (c) says “I beg to propose” (d) must prove the motion
24. 24.📜 Which words often begin a debate motion? (a) “Breaking news…” (b) “Dear diary…” (c) “Once upon a time…” (d) “This House…”
25. 25.True or false: “This House believes a cricket team has eleven players.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
26. 26.Which of these is true of the opposition? (a) must prove the motion (b) is against the motion (c) says “I beg to propose” (d) defines the key words
27. 27.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes the Sun rises in the east.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
28. 28.⚖️ Which side must disprove the motion? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
29. 29.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) answers the proposition (b) must disprove the motion (c) is against the motion (d) defines the key words
30. 30.True or false: “This House believes board games beat screen games.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.📜 The team that argues against the motion is called… (a) the opposition (b) the proposition (c) the audience (d) the judges
32. 32.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House would ban homework at weekends.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
33. 33.True or false: “This House would ban homework at weekends.” is a debatable motion. (a) False (b) True
34. 34.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House believes a week has seven days.” (a) debatable (b) not debatable
35. 35.📜 Is this a debatable motion? “This House would make cooking a school subject.” (a) not debatable (b) debatable
36. 36.Which of these is true of the proposition? (a) must disprove the motion (b) speaks first (c) is against the motion (d) answers the proposition
37. 37.True or false: “This House would give every class a pet.” is not debatable — it is a plain fact. (a) False (b) True
38. 38.⚖️ Which side is against the motion? (a) the proposition (b) the opposition
39. 39.⚖️ Which side answers the proposition? (a) the opposition (b) the proposition
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) is for the motion (b) may test the definition (c) answers the proposition (d) is against the motion

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