Henry Moore - IELTS Reading Answers

Here are some facts about Henry Moore:

1. Aztec Statuary, specifically The Chacmool, is regarded as the single greatest influence on Henry Moore.
2. Henry Moore enlisted as a volunteer for military duty.
3. Henry Moore became a member of a surrealist collective known as Unit One.
4. A rising generation of sculptors rebelled against him.
5. Henry Moore initially trained to be an educator.

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Henry Moore stood out as the foremost British sculptor of the 20th-century art scene.

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Henry Moore was born in Castleford, a small town close to Leeds in Northern England. His parents were Raymond Moore and Mary Baker, and he was the seventh of their children. From 1909 to 1915, he attended Castleford grammar school. It was here that he developed an interest in art, encouraged by a teacher named Alice Gostick. Following his general education, Moore wanted to pursue sculpture, but instead followed his father's wishes and trained as a school teacher. In 1917, his training was interrupted when he was deployed to France for the First World War.

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Following the war, Moore spent two years studying at the Leeds School of Art. He dedicated his entire first year to learning and practicing drawing. Although he wished to study sculpture, no instructor was assigned for that subject until his second year. In his final year, he earned a merit in his sculpture examination and received a scholarship to attend the Royal College of Art in London. He commenced his advanced studies in sculpture in London in September 1921.

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During his time at the Royal College, he was advised to tour London museums. He visited many of them, paying special attention to the British Museum, which houses an extensive collection of ancient sculptures. Through these visits, he discovered the strength and beauty of ancient Egyptian and African artwork. This sparked a growing fascination with primitive art forms and led him to move away from conventional European sculptural styles.

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After graduation, Moore spent the first half of 1925 traveling through France. A visit to the Trocadero Museum in Paris deeply impressed him with a cast of a Mayan rain spirit sculpture. This piece depicted a reclining male figure with his knees drawn up together and his head at a right angle to the body. Captivated by the power and originality of this stone sculpture, Moore began working with stone across various subjects, including reclining women, mother and child groupings, and masks.

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Moore's exceptional talent earned widespread recognition, leading to his appointment as a sculpture instructor at the Royal College in 1926. In 1933, he joined Unit One, an association of young artists. The group's primary objective was to introduce the British public to the emerging international modern art and architecture movement.

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During this period, Moore began experimenting with abstract forms, moving further away from representations of the human figure. He hosted an exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in London, which received high praise from fellow sculptors but faced harsh criticism in the press, casting Moore as a controversial figure. Consequently, he resigned from the Royal College, and the following year he established a sculpture department at the Chelsea School of Art in London.

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Throughout the 1930s, Moore focused less on winning over the British public. He grew fascinated by the paintings of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, which inspired him to radically distort the human form, occasionally abandoning it entirely. Moore's sketchbooks from this era reflect concepts for abstract sculptures that retain subtle human characteristics.

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In 1940, with the onset of the Second World War, Moore left his teaching post at the Chelsea School and relocated to a farmhouse situated 20 miles north of London. Due to material shortages, he shifted his focus to drawing, beginning with small sketches of London residents before developing them into large-scale color drawings in his studio. In 1942, he traveled back to Castleford to sketch a series documenting local miners at work.

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During 1944, a community near London called Harlow commissioned Moore to create a sculpture depicting a family. The resulting piece demonstrated a significant shift in Moore's style, moving away from the natural and human subject experimentation seen in 1930. He produced numerous clay studies for sculptures, which were subsequently cast in bronze and produced in editions of 7 to 9. Consequently, Moore's creations became accessible to collectors globally. This boost in revenue allowed him to concentrate on major projects and work on a scale dictated by the demand for his sculptures.

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Critics who believed Moore had lost his revolutionary edge were proven wrong in 1950 by a series of bronze standing figures featuring severe, angular pierced forms and a strong sense of menace. Throughout the 1950s, Moore expanded his thematic scope with pieces like warrior with shield and falling warrior. These stand as rare instances of Moore utilizing male figures, a choice inspired by his 1951 trip to Greece where he examined classical art.

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In his later years, the Henry Moore Foundation was established to promote and exhibit his art. He stands as the pioneer modern English sculptor to achieve global renown and remains recognized as a premier sculptor of the 20th century.

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Questions (1-7)

Do the following statements match the information with the passage?Write

YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writerNO if the statement contradicts the views of the writerNOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

1. After his schooling Moore learned about sculpting2. In the first year of Leeds school of art he studied about sculpting3. At royal college of art he gained recognition for teaching sculpture excellently4. Only by visiting the London museums, Moore got aware of ancient sculpture5. Mayan sculpture in the Trocadero museum gains a lot of public interest.6. Moore thought that Mayan sculpture was similar to other stone sculptures.7. The unit one members wanted to make modern art and architecture popular.

Questions (8-11)

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

8. He ____________ from the Royal college.9. Moore began sketching because of the unavailability of sculpture ______________.10. Moore did drawings of ______________ while visiting his hometown.11. Moore’s work was purchased by _____________ at the beginning.

Questions (12-14)

Choose the correct letter, a, b, c or d

12. For which institute Moore got a scholarship award?

1. Castleford grammar school
2. Royal College of Arts
3. Leeds School of Art
4. Chelsea School of Art

13. What sculpture made Moore receive commission?

1. Warrior with shield and falling warrior
2. Mayan sculpture
3. Abstract sculptures
4. Family sculpture

14. Which series of Moore gained recognition?

1. Primitive forms of art
2. Reclining women
3. Standing figures in bronze
4. Abstract sculpture

This Henry moore IELTS reading answers with explanation is given here to help you to spot the exact line where the key information for the question gets matched.

(Note: The text in italics from the reading passage shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail)

1. No

Explanation: After the academics got over, Moore wanted to become a sculptor but instead as per his father’s wish he got trained as a school teacher - The statement clearly states that Moore worked as a teacher as per his father’s wish not as a sculpture.

2. No

Explanation: He wanted to study sculpture but there was no teacher appointed for that till his second year - This line says that till his second year i.e in first year he doesn’t study about sculpture.

3. Not Given

Explanation: The passage has included the information of the Royal College of Art, but there is no such thing about his teaching style.

4. Yes

Explanation: At Royal College he was instructed to visit the London museums and he visited many of them and particularly the British museums which contain a huge-range of ancient sculpture collections - From this statement it was clear that he discovered ancient sculpture only by visiting the London museums.

5. Not Given

Explanation: Paragraph 4 has mentioned about the Mayan sculpture and Moore’s interest but not anything about public interest.

6. No

Explanation: Moore got more interested by seeing this stone sculpture and he thought that no other stone sculpture had this much power and originality - In the line it mentioned that Moore thought that it has power and originality than other sculpture, not similarity.

7. Yes

Explanation: The group’s motto is to convince the English public of the emerging international movement of modern art and architecture - This statement describes what unit one members planned to do.

8. Resigned

Explanation: And from the Royal College he resigned and the following year he started a sculpture department at the Chelsea School of Art in London - The direct keyword is mentioned in the statement.

9. Materials

Explanation: Due to the shortage of materials he started drawing - This line from the paragraph shows that the sculpture material shortage leads him to do sketching.

10. Miners

Explanation: In 1942, he returned to Castleford to sketch a series of miners working there - In this statement it’s given that Moore visited his hometown Castleford to draw miners who are working there.

11. Collectors

Explanation: By doing this Moore’s work is available to collectors across the world. The raise in income made him focus on the great projects and worked on the scale based on the demand he felt for his sculptures - This statement shows that collectors purchased his work and due to that he got a raise in income.

12. Royal College of Arts

Explanation: During his final year, he achieved merit in his sculpture assessment, earning a scholarship for further studies at the Royal College of Arts in London. This sentence confirms that the Royal College of Arts is the specific institution he received the scholarship to attend.

13. Family Sculpture

Explanation: In 1944, the municipality of Harlow, located near London, invited Moore to create a sculpture depicting a family. This indicates that a commission was granted to produce a family sculpture.

14. Standing figures in bronze

Explanation: Critics who assumed Moore had lost his revolutionary edge were proven incorrect. This was demonstrated in 1950 through his bronze standing figures collection, featuring sharp, angular pierced designs and an overt sense of menace, which proved that the series initiated a major revolution.

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