Passage Five

Questions 21-25 are based on the following passage.

      In the United States, it is important to be on time, or punctual, for an appointment, a class, a meeting, etc. This may not be true in all countries, however. An American professor discovered this difference while teaching a class in a Brazilian university. The two-hour class was scheduled to begin at 10 A.M.. On the first day, when the professor arrived on time, no one was in the classroom. Many students came after 10 A.M.. Several arrived after 10:30 A.M.. Two students came after 11 A.M.. Although all the students greeted the professor as they arrived, few apologized for their lateness. Were these students being rude? He decided to study the students' behavior.

      The professor talked to American and Brazilian students about lateness in both an informal and a formal situation: lunch with a friend, and a university class. He gave them an example and asked them how they would react. If they had a lunch appointment with a friend, the average American students thought of lateness as 19 minutes after the agreed time. On the other hand, the average Brazilian students felt the friend was late after 33 minutes.

      In an American university, students are expected to arrive at the appointed hour. However, in Brazil, neither the teacher nor the students always arrive at the appointed hour. Classes not only begin at the scheduled time in the United States, but they also end at the scheduled time. In the Brazilian class, only a few students left the class at noon; many remained past 12:30 to discuss the class and ask more questions. While arriving late may not be very important in Brazil, neither is

staying late.

     The explanation for these differences is complicated. People from Brazilian and North American cultures have different feelings about lateness. In Brazil, the students believe that a person who usually arrives late is probably more successful than a person who is always on time. If a Brazilian is late for an appointment with a North American, the American may misunderstand the reason for the lateness and become angry.