Debate Vocabulary

Debate Vocabulary

Hypothesis

an educated guess about the cause and effect relationship between two events

Multiple Choice

Which one is a hypothesis?

• Mammals have fur, like cats and dogs.

• Mammals are animals that have hair or fur and feed their young with their own milk.

• If you have a dog in your house, then you will have fur on your furniture.

• Dogs are the cutest mammals.

factual statement

information that can be verified

Multiple Select

Which one is a factual statement?

• Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play.

• If you are in English 8, then you will read Hamlet.

• Hamlet is Shakespeare's most entertaining play.

• Shakespeare wrote many influential tragedies, including Hamlet.

statistics

numerical facts

Multiple Choice

Which one includes statistics?

• If you do your daily reading, then you will pass English 8.

• Last semester, 100% of students in Ms. Flowers' English 8 classes passed.

• English 8 is the second semester of senior English.

• John said, "I didn't enjoy reading Hamlet but I still did the assignments each day so I was able to pass and get my credit."

examples

specific instances that illustrate or explain a general factual statement

Multiple Select

Which one is an example?

• If I had to take an extra elective, then I would sign up for Weight Training.

• 15% of students choose a music class for their electives.

• Electives are classes that are not required for graduation but still provide necessary credits.

• Art and Intro to Speech/Debate are electives.

hypothetical example

specific illustration based on reflections about future events - MIGHT happen

Multiple Choice

Which is a hypothetical example?

• If you graduate high school, then you will be more likely to get a job.

• Mary Watson is a student who graduated from high school. She says that her high school diploma allowed her to attend Metro and then UNO and then ultimately become a successful teacher.

• Getting a high school diploma is important.

• If you graduate high school, then you will go to college, get a good paying career, and live happily ever after.

definition

a statement that clarifies the meaning of a word or phrase

Multiple Select

Which one is a definition?

• A healthy snack is one that provides your body with necessary nutrition without harmful chemicals or unnecessary calories.

• My favorite healthy snack is a banana.

• Dr. Jimenez, the director of Nutrition Services for the University of Nebraska, says that teenagers need to eat more healthy snack.

• Bananas contain 100 calories and 17% of your daily recommended Vitamin C.

expert/expert opinions

a person recognized as having mastered a specific subject, usually through long-term study

interpretations and judgments made by "experts"

Multiple Choice

Which one represents an expert with an expert opinion?

• My brother told me that the University of Wisconsin is the best college in the Midwest.

• Steven Jackson, the author of the US News and World Report "Top Universities List", rates Butler University in Indiana as the top Midwestern university.

• Antonia, a college freshman at Creighton, says that she cannot imagine a better university anywhere in the Midwest.

• Dr. Simon, a pediatrician in Omaha, believes the University of Nebraska is the best Midwestern university for engineering.

anecdote

brief, often amusing, story

Multiple Select

Which is an anecdote?

• Shawshank Redemption is a movie about a wrongfully convicted man's experience in a Maine prison.

• Shawshank Redemption has a higher Rotten Tomatoes Audience Rating than Black Panther.

• It seems like every time I walk through the living room, my husband is watching Shawshank Redemption. He cannot get enough of that movie!

• 98% of viewers rate Shawshank Redemption positively.

Narrative

account, personal experience, tale or lengthier story

Comparison

illuminating (emphasizing) a point by showing a similarity

Multiple Choice

Which is a comparison?

• Shawshank Redemption was written by Stephen King, but in nothing like It.

• It is not surprising that Shawshank Redemption is so good, since it also came from a Stephen King story, just like It.

• Stephen King has written both novels and short stories that have been made into movies.

• Becca, an avid movie-goer, said she cried at the end of the movie.

Contrast

illuminating (emphasizing) a point by highlighting differences

Multiple Select

Which one is a contrast?

• Remote learning is an effective method of learning, since it is the same curriculum as "in person".

• Remote learning is when students log in to their classes from a device at home.

• More than 30% of students have chosen to do remote learning only.

• On February 17, "in person" students will attend school 5 days a week, rather than only 2 or 3 days a week in the hybrid model.