Answer Keys

Most of the questions posed in the Widgets Inc. coursebook are intentionally open-ended in order to invite authentic discussion. Therefore please bear in mind that many of the answers here are suggestive only, and simply meant to guide the teacher as they facilitate group and whole-class discussion.

Stage 1

p. 3 (B) Example questions for Michael: "What kind of music does your band play?" "How long have you played the drums?" "Do you play any other instruments?" etc. Example questions for Rachel: "How long did it take to get a black belt?" "Do you still practice regularly?" "Is judo good for self-defense?" etc.

p. 5 (A) 1. Your future, today. 2. Widgets was started 5 years ago by three university students. 3. Widgets has offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and London (and more). 4. Meet Miki May, the CEO of Widgets. A magazine called her a true marketing genius of our time. 5. Titus Pinsch. This superstar CFO has doubled Widgets' profits. 6. Jessica Sparks. CTO and head of R&D (Research & Development).

p.5 (D) Possible answers: What kind of company is Widgets? It's a major international company with offices in many cities. It's exciting. It makes products to change your life. It's a startup. What are some Widgets products? Several flash quickly on the screen. Does Widgets seem like a good place to work? Hopefully yes! Does Widgets reminds you of any other companies you know? We were thinking of tech-oriented startup companies that became big in the 90's and 00's such as Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. which were often conceived while its founders were still in university.

p. 6-7 (A) Answers will certainly vary, although a few are more ridiculous than others. Students often give high marks to the X-Ray Fridge and the Doggy BFF.

p. 8 (A) Possible answers: 1. About 3 km. How about you? Do you run? 2. I had dinner with my grandmother. 3. Movies are fun, but you know what's even more fun? Going to a music concert. Have you gone to a concert recently?

p. 8 (B) Examples: 1. (follow-up question) "Oh cool! Where did you go?", "I heard it's hard to navigate.", "Are you going to have a big family dinner?" 2. (detailed answer) "It was, but you know, luckily I had some friends there [...] I had some avocado toast, ‘cause that’s really big there right now.", "no, not really. This time it’s just gonna be me, and a couple of friends of my mom. 3. (change of topic "And how about you? Are you gonna go anywhere for the long weekend?"

p. 9 (A) Possible answers will vary, but should include some of this information: Miki first had the idea for the Shock Watch because she was falling asleep in her university classes and her grades were going down. Jessica, Miki's classmate, made the first prototype, then 20 more watches in the first year. They approached Titus, who was in the "young capitalists' society". He was doubtful at first, but eventually saw the potential and made a business plan (market research, finding investors, registering the company — "all of the real work", according to him.)

p. 9 (B) Answers will vary, and of course there isn't enough information in the video to be precise. Generally speaking, we see