Comparing Art Deco and Art Moderne - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Expert on Cambridge IELTS 09 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–22 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
- Art Deco takes its name from a/an 21 held in Paris 1925.
- Both Art Deco and Art Moderne were more often used for 22 buildings and skyscrapers.
Questions 23–27 Form Completion
Complete the form below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Art Deco
- facades with 23 designs
- polychromy
- straight lines and 24 forms
- vertical emphasis
Art Modern
- flat roofed building forms, curved corners
- Smooth walls without 25
- more 26 than Deco
- 27 emphasis
Questions 28–30 Short Answers
Answer the questions below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | exhibition | I think Professor Vargas said Art Deco started at an exhibition in Paris in 1925 | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that Art Deco began at a large public show (an exhibition) in the city of Paris during the year 1925. Answer Explanation: The answer is the word "exhibition", which means a public event or show where art or other interesting objects are displayed for people to see. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "exhibition" because the woman mentions what the professor said about the origin of Art Deco. Specifically, she notes that it began at an "exhibition in Paris in 1925". Therefore, the word that fits the blank after "a/an" is "exhibition". |
| Q22 | commercial | Both Art Deco and its cousin, Art Moderne, were rarely used for houses; they were more common for commercial buildings and skyscrapers, and occasional institutional buildings | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people rarely used Art Deco and Art Moderne styles to build regular homes. Instead, these styles were used much more frequently for business buildings and very tall towers. Answer Explanation: The answer "commercial" means related to business, buying, and selling rather than private homes. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "commercial" because the woman explains the types of structures built in these styles. She states that Art Deco and Art Moderne were rarely used for houses and were instead "more common for commercial buildings and skyscrapers". In the sentence, "more often used for" matches the speaker's phrase "more common for". |
| Q23 | geometric | It has facades with geometric designs including zigzags, chevrons and uh strips of windows with decorative spandrels |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the fronts (facades) of Art Deco buildings feature geometric patterns, such as zigzags and chevron shapes. Answer Explanation: The answer means shapes like triangles, squares, circles, or zigzags. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed when the woman describes the features of Art Deco buildings. She directly says that Art Deco has "facades with geometric designs". Therefore, the missing word describing the designs on the facades is "geometric". |
| Q24 | slender | Art Deco uses a lot of straight lines and slender forms | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the Art Deco architectural style includes many straight lines together with thin, elegant shapes. Answer Explanation: The answer "slender" means thin, slim, or narrow in a graceful and attractive way. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "slender" because the woman explains the visual characteristics of Art Deco, explicitly stating that it "uses a lot of straight lines and slender forms." Therefore, "slender" fits directly into the blank before the word "forms". |
| Q25 | decoration | the walls are smooth and don't have any decoration | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the surfaces of the walls in Art Moderne buildings are completely flat and smooth, with no added decorative designs. Answer Explanation: The answer means pretty details or ornaments added to make a building or surface look attractive. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "decoration" because the woman explains the features of Art Moderne architecture. She explicitly states that the walls are smooth and "don't have any decoration." In the form, the phrase "without decoration" means the exact same thing as "don't have any decoration." |
| Q26 | streamlined | It's more streamlined than Deco | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript directly explains that the Art Moderne style has a smoother and sleeker design compared to the Art Deco style. Answer Explanation: The answer means having a smooth, simple shape with smooth lines that look modern and sleek. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed when the woman describes the features of the Art Moderne style. While contrasting it with Art Deco, she directly states that Art Moderne is "more streamlined than Deco." Therefore, the missing word in the phrase "more than Deco" is "streamlined". |
| Q27 | horizontal | Architects gave Art Moderne buildings a strong horizontal emphasis, often accented by horizontal banding, or "streamlining" | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states directly that builders and designers focused on giving Art Moderne buildings a side-to-side, horizontal look. Answer Explanation: The answer "horizontal" means a flat line or direction that goes from side to side across, rather than up and down. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the speaker's description of Art Moderne architecture. When detailing the characteristics of Art Moderne buildings, she explains that architects gave these buildings a "strong horizontal emphasis." Therefore, the missing word describing the emphasis of Art Moderne is "horizontal." |
| Q28 | a slide show | We could take pictures of the buildings and do a slide show in class | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the man proposing that they take photos of the architecture and present a slide show to the rest of the class. Answer Explanation: The answer means presenting a series of photos on a screen for their classmates to see. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "a slide show" because the man suggests taking photographs of local buildings and presenting "a slide show in class" for their course project, which the woman thinks is a great idea. Pay attention to the keywords "idea for our project" and "in class". |
| Q29 | get permission | But don't we need to get permission to take photographs | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the woman asking if they are required to receive official approval before taking pictures of the buildings. Answer Explanation: The answer means to ask someone for approval or an official okay to do something. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the conversation when the man suggests taking pictures of buildings for their class project. The woman immediately wonders if they must first "get permission" to take photographs, especially inside the buildings. The man agrees that they can ask for this approval. |
| Q30 | building superintendent | I'll go down to the Maritime Building and see if there's anyone there - like a building superintendent - who can give us permission | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the woman saying she will go to the building to find a manager, such as a building superintendent, who has the authority to let them take photos. Answer Explanation: The answer means a person whose job is to take care of and manage a building. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed because the woman needs permission to take photographs inside the Maritime Building. She plans to visit the building to find someone, specifically mentioning a "building superintendent", who can grant them permission to take the pictures. |
Transcript
Woman: Our design class is really interesting, don't you think so?
Man: Yeah, I like Professor Vargas, but sometimes he goes too fast, and I feel like I'm missing something. There's a lot we have to remember.
Woman: True. There are a lot of details about all the different styles.
Man: Yeah, there are Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, and Art Moderne... I have a hard time keeping it all straight.
Woman: I know what you mean.
Man: For example, it seems to me that Art Deco and Art Moderne are the same things.
Woman: Well, there is some overlap. They were both popular in the 1930s although Art Deco came a little before Moderne. I think Professor Vargas said Art Deco started at an exhibition in Paris in 1925.
Let me check out my notes. Right, Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional and modern. Both Art Deco and its cousin, Art Moderne, were rarely used for houses; they were more common for commercial buildings and skyscrapers, and occasional institutional buildings.
Man: So, they were about the same time. That's one thing that gets confusing. Another thing is, they seem so similar that it's hard to see why they're considered different styles.
Woman: Art Deco has more decoration than Art Moderne. Art Deco is the style you see in a lot of movie theatres and hotels that were built in the twenties and thirties. It has facades with geometric designs including zigzags, chevrons... and uh... strips of windows with decorative spandrels. And it's polychromy, you know, often with vivid colours; Art Deco uses a lot of straight lines and slender forms. "Sleekness" is the word that comes to mind. Art Deco is often used in towers and other vertical projections, presenting a vertical emphasis. At the time, it was considered "modernistic".
Man: But that's what gets confusing! Doesn't "modernistic" also apply to Art Moderne?
Woman: Art Moderne is simpler than Deco. Art Moderne style buildings are similar to Art Deco in appearance, but are even more austere and functional. It has...uh...things like more rounded corners, flat roofs, and... the walls are smooth and don't have any decoration. It's more streamlined than Deco. Art Moderne buildings remind me of boats. The walls are smooth, and the trim is usually stainless steel. A lot of the windows are round, kind of like the porthholes on a boat. Architects gave Art Moderne buildings a strong horizontal emphasis, often accented by horizontal banding, or "streamlining".
Man: Oh...I know a building like that. It's near here in town, on Second Avenue. It has a rounded corner and round windows. It used to be a gas station, but now it's a restaurant. We should go there sometime.
Woman: Yeah. I'd like to see that. My favourite building is the Maritime Building. It's downtown, right across from my father's office. It's Art Deco - built in 1927 - and I tell that from the cornerstone. You should see the lobby! It's just beautiful. There's a geometric pattern in the tile on the floor - kind of a big circle with lots of triangles. And you should see the elevator doors. They're gorgeous.
Man: You know we should go around and look at some of these buildings.
Woman: Yeah, that would be fun.
Man: And... you know what else... this is an idea for our project. We could take pictures of the buildings and do a slide show in class.
Woman: Oh, that's a cool idea! But don't we need to get permission to take photographs? Especially of the interior... we need pictures of the lobby of the Maritime Building.
Man: We could ask for permission. That shouldn't be a problem. Let's talk to Professor Vargas and see what he thinks.
Woman: OK. Why don't you do that? I'll go down to the Maritime Building and see if there's anyone there - like a building superintendent - who can give us permission. I'll let you know. Why don't we meet again on Thursday?
Man: OK. Fine with me.