Chapter 5 — Exercises
Time is the most measurable cultural difference — which makes it great for practice. These exercises drill the context-dependent rules of "on time" until they become automatic. Sample answers for closed items follow.
A. What Would You Do?
Scenario 1: The dinner invitation
A colleague invites you to dinner at their home "at 7:00." You: - (a) Arrive at 6:55 to be safe and respectful. - (b) Arrive at exactly 7:00. - (c) Arrive around 7:10–7:15, giving the host final prep time. - (d) Arrive at 8:00 — "fashionably late."
Scenario 2: The interview
You have a job interview at 10:00 across town. You: - (a) Plan to arrive at exactly 10:00. - (b) Plan to arrive 30+ minutes early and sit in the lobby the whole time. - (c) Plan to be in the area early, and walk into reception about 5–10 minutes before 10:00. - (d) Plan for 10:05 — being a little late shows you're relaxed.
Scenario 3: Running late
Traffic means you'll be 15 minutes late to a meeting with a Western colleague. You: - (a) Say nothing and just arrive late, then apologize in person. - (b) Send a quick message now: "So sorry, running ~15 min late, see you soon." - (c) Don't go at all, out of embarrassment. - (d) Arrive late and act as if nothing happened.
Scenario 4: The spontaneous invitation (new)
On Friday afternoon you call a Western friend: "Come over tonight!" They say, warmly, "Oh, I'd love to, but I have plans." Back home, friends are spontaneously available. You: - (a) Feel rejected and assume they don't value the friendship. - (b) Feel rejected and stop reaching out. - (c) Recognize that Western social calendars are genuinely booked ahead — and propose a specific future time instead ("No worries — does next Wednesday work?"). - (d) Switch your own habit: plan social things days/weeks ahead rather than relying on spontaneity.
Scenario 5: The deadline you can't meet (new)
Your manager asks for a report "by Thursday." By Tuesday you know Thursday is impossible. You: - (a) Say nothing and hope to catch up, then miss Thursday silently. - (b) Wait until Thursday passes, then explain. - (c) Tell them now: "Thursday's looking tight — I can have it Friday by noon. Does that work?" - (d) Treat the deadline as flexible since "the relationship matters more than the date."
Choose and justify each using monochronic vs. polychronic time. Why are the "right" answers different for the dinner (c) and the interview (c)? Why does the spontaneous invitation (4) get declined?
B. Decode This
Translate these time phrases: 1. "Let's pencil it in for Tuesday." 2. "I only have 15 minutes." 3. "I'm running late." (text message) 4. "Let's take a raincheck." 5. "Are you free Thursday?" (and then nothing is confirmed) 6. (new) "Let's do something soon!" 7. (new) "Can you get this to me by end of day (EOD)?"
C. Translate Between Cultures
Task 1 — Firm up a vague plan. Turn each loose intention into a monochronic, calendar-ready plan: 1. "We should get lunch sometime soon." 2. "Come by this weekend whenever."
Task 2 — Two relationships with time. Describe the same situation — a long lunch with a friend that runs past the time you'd planned to leave for an errand — from: 1. A monochronic point of view (what's the "responsible" move?). 2. A polychronic point of view (what's the "warm" move?). 3. Which feels more natural to you? How might you honor both?
Task 3 — Renegotiate a deadline early (new). Your manager wants something Monday; you can only do Wednesday. Write the early, specific renegotiation message that protects your reputation (vs. silently missing it).
D. Culture-Shock Journal
- Your time system. Were you raised more monochronic or polychronic? Give two concrete examples (how parties started, how meetings ran).
- A clash. Describe a real time-related misunderstanding you've had since arriving. Which dial was mismatched?
- What you don't want to lose. Is there something about your home culture's relationship with time (presence, flexibility, unhurried meals) you want to keep even as you adopt Western punctuality? How will you protect it?
- Plan-ahead culture (new). Has a spontaneous invitation of yours been declined because someone "had plans"? How will you adapt your own habit of making plans in advance?
E. Ask a Local
Ask a Western friend: - "If someone invites me to a party at 8, what time do people actually show up?" - "How late can you be to a work meeting before it's a problem?" - (new) "How far in advance do you usually make plans with friends?"
Record the answer and compare it to this chapter's table. Did your country match?
F. Self-Assessment: Punctuality habits
Rate honestly, 1 (never) to 5 (always): 1. I arrive early for interviews, formal events, and transport. 2. I use a calendar/reminders for commitments. 3. I message people in advance when I'll be late. 4. I know the difference between "dinner at 7" (arrive ~7:15) and "meeting at 7" (arrive ~6:58). 5. I can still be fully present and unhurried with people when the setting allows it.
Note date and scores. A high #5 alongside high #1–4 is the bilingual goal: disciplined and present. (Appendix J collects the book's self-assessments.)
Sample Answers & Discussion
A: Scenario 1 → (c) — arriving early (a/b) catches the host unprepared; 8:00 (d) is too late for a sit-down dinner. Scenario 2 → (c) — 10 min early is ideal; exactly 10:00 (a) reads as "cutting it close"; 30+ min early (b) is awkward for the host; late (d) is costly. Scenario 3 → (b) — the advance message turns lateness into a managed courtesy; silence (a/d) is the real offense in monochronic culture. Scenario 4 → (c)/(d) — Western calendars are genuinely booked ahead; "I have plans" is a full calendar, not rejection — propose a specific future time and adopt the plan-ahead habit. Scenario 5 → (c) — renegotiate early and specifically; silence (a/b) reads as unreliable; treating the deadline as flexible (d) damages you in a results culture. Why dinner-(c) and interview-(c) differ: both are "10 minutes off the stated time," but in opposite directions — early for the strict/professional, slightly late for the social — because each protects a different person's needs (the interviewer's schedule vs. the host's prep time).
B — Decode This: 1 = a tentative plan that isn't firm yet (pencil can be erased). 2 = a hard limit — wrap up on time. 3 = "I'll be later than agreed" — sending it is expected courtesy. 4 = postpone to another time (a promise to do it later). 5 = vague plans evaporate unless you confirm a specific time. 6 = a warm signal, not a plan — propose a specific day to make it real. 7 = a real commitment for that day; send it (or a heads-up) by end of day.
C — Task 1 models: 1 → "Want to grab lunch Wednesday at 12:30 at [place]?" 2 → "Would Saturday around 2pm work for me to come by?" Task 2: Monochronic: leave on time to do the errand (honoring your commitment and self-discipline). Polychronic: stay with the friend (honoring the relationship). Honor both: "I've loved this — I do need to run an errand by 4, but let's keep going till then" (presence + a clear boundary). Task 3 model: "Quick heads-up — Monday's looking tight with [X]. I can deliver Wednesday by noon, or prioritize this over [other task] for Tuesday. Which works better?"
D, E, F are personal — your honest reflection is the answer.