Reading/Vocabulary 3
TEST 4 Chapter 6
Name: _______________
Reading 1
The artist Pablo Picasso was born in 1881 in Malaga, Spain. His father was an art teacher, and young
Picasso showed interest in art very early in his life. At first, the boy studied with his father, but later he
started taking courses at the prestigious Royal Academy. After a short time, however, he stopped
attending those courses. They were not as interesting as the paintings in the museums or the people on
the streets. Although he left the academy, no one could guess what would be his future. Pablo Picasso
became one of the most acclaimed artists of the twentieth century.
In 1900, while he was a young man, Picasso made his first trip to Paris. He returned to the French capital
several times over the next few years, and then went to live there. At that time, it was a very lively place.
Many extraordinary artists, poets, and writers were living in Paris. Some were French, but there were also
many others from European countries and the United States. Picasso made friends with many of them.
His paintings in these early years were mostly realistic. During this time he was very interested in ancient
Greece and Rome. In fact, the people in Picasso’s pictures look like people in ancient Greek and Roman
art. At this time, Picasso was still unknown, and he was very poor. He lived in a very small apartment with
another artist, and they were often cold and hungry. However, Picasso continued to paint.
Little by little, however, his ideas about art changed. Now, Picasso was not interested in painting the real
world anymore. His perspective had changed. He transformed animals and people into shapes. He was
more interested in lines and colors, and in how the shapes looked together. In fact, many people laughed
at his work. However, other artists understood what he was doing and changed their way of painting. In
fact, other artists soon began to copy Picasso's vision of art. Even though these pictures were not very
popular at first, after a while, his paintings began to sell for high prices.
Guernica is one of Picasso's most famous paintings. It is painted in a style that is not realistic. Picasso
made it in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. It showed the terrible suffering of the Spanish people as
they struggled during the bombing of the city of Guernica. There are many symbols in the painting, for
example, the bull, which represents Spain, the dying horse, representing the innocent victims, and Lady
Liberty, who shines a light on the scene of horror. When Guernica was installed at the Paris World Fair,
people understood the powerful message in it and took notice. Picasso became famous around the world.
Later in life, Picasso moved to the south of France though he often returned to visit Paris. He was quite
old now, but he never stopped working to end fighting and war. One of his last pictures of two flying
birds, doves, is a well-known symbol of peace. Picasso died in 1973 at the age of ninety-three.
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Reading/Vocabulary 3
TEST 4 Chapter 6
Name: _______________
1. The best synonym for prestigious is
A. urban
B. beautiful
C. shameful
D. famous
2. A good title for this passage might be:
A. The Painting Guernica
B. A Realistic Painter’s Life
C. The Life of Pablo Picasso
D. Two Flying Birds: a Symbol of Peace
3. Which statement is NOT true?
A. Picasso was interested in Greek and Roman art.
B. Guernica made people pay attention to the war in Spain.
C. Picasso remained a realistic painter all his life.
D. Many poets and writers in Paris became his friends.
4. What is the main idea of paragraph 4?
A. People misunderstood Picasso and laughed at his art.
B. Picasso’s perspective on art was changing from a realistic style to one that emphasized
shapes and colors.
C. Picasso started to make more money because he changed his style of painting.
D. Picasso’s paintings in these early years were mostly realistic.
5. What one is NOT symbolized in the painting Guernica?
A. a bull
B. a horse
C. some birds
D. a woman
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Reading/Vocabulary 3
TEST 4 Chapter 6
Name: _______________
6. In paragraph 4, what part of speech is the word perspective?
A. noun
B. adjective
C. verb
D. adverb
7. In this essay, which sentence is the thesis statement?
A. Guernica is one of Picasso's most famous paintings.
B. Pablo Picasso was one of the most acclaimed artists of the twentieth century.
C. His father was an art teacher, and Picasso showed interest in art very early in his life.
D. The artist Pablo Picasso was born in 1881 in Malaga, Spain.
8. Why did Picasso paint Guernica?
A. to show people his country, Spain
B. to make a painting for the World Fair
C. to practice his new style of painting
D. to show what war can do
9. When did Picasso paint a famous painting that showed the suffering of the Spanish people during
a war?
A. in 1914
B. in 1907
C. in 1937
D. in 1973
10. Which statement is NOT true about Picasso in the later years of his life?
A. he continued to live in Paris
B. he continued to try ending war
C. he continued to work for peace
D. he continued to make art
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Reading/Vocabulary 3
TEST 4 Chapter 6
Name: _______________
Reading 2
If you are planning a trip to Barcelona, Spain, you
should plan to visit Park Güell. This park was
created by Antoni Gaudí, the acclaimed architect.
He created this urban park in the early 1900s for
the Barcelona aristocracy, or upper classes.
There are many interesting features in this
prestigious public park. Park Güell contains extraordinary stone structures, stunning tiles, and fascinating
buildings. The Gaudí dragon water fountain at the entrance to the park is enhanced by beautiful colored
tiling, and there is an energetic and inspirational feel to it. Gaudí was strongly influenced by the shapes of
nature and used them in his work, so there are rotated rock pillars that appear to grow out of the ground
like tree trunks. Although the pillars are strangely irregular in shape, they feel uniquely natural.
In addition, at the top of Güell park is a raised area with a wonderful view of the huge park and of the city
of Barcelona. There are multi-colored mosaic places to sit that are made out of tiles, and the complex
colors of the tiles take your breath away. Park Güell also has a small house in the park which Gaudí lived
in at one time. The old house has now been transformed into a permanent museum and contains
interesting furniture that was also designed by Gaudí.
If you're visiting the park by metro, be prepared for at least a 20 minute walk. The last part of the walk is
up a high hill. If you have a difficult time negotiating steep steps, then you should take a taxi or bus. You'll
find bus information at the tourist information
office at Plaza de Catalunya. Due to Park
Güell's location and size, you should schedule
at least half a day for a visit to Güell Park.
However it will be well worth the visit.
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Reading/Vocabulary 3
TEST 4 Chapter 6
Name: _______________
Reading 2 Questions:
1. This article would most likely be written for a/an _____.
A. dictionary
B. online travel site
C. encyclopedia
D. book review
2. A good title for this article might be:
A. Gaudi’s Park Güell
B. Go to Barcelona
C. City Parks
D. Interesting Places
3. In paragraph 2, what is the closest synonym for stunning?
A. calmly energetic
B. surprisingly beautiful
C. strangely harsh
D. very gentle
4. Which statement is NOT true?
A. The top of Güell Park has a raised area with a great view of the huge park.
B. A museum has not been built in the park yet.
C. You should take a taxi or bus to the park if you can’t walk up a lot of steps.
D. There are pillars in the park which have a unique shape.
5. Who was Güell Park originally built for?
A. Gaudi’s family
B. everyone in Barcelona
C. the people in rural Spain
D. the aristocracy of Barcelona
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Reading/Vocabulary 3
TEST 4 Chapter 6
Name: _______________
6. Which type of artwork is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. tile work
B. furniture design
C. painted pictures
D. stone structures
7. In paragraph 2, which sentence supports the topic sentence and gives more details?
A. There are many interesting features in this prestigious public park.
B. Park Güell contains extraordinary stone structures, stunning tiles, and fascinating buildings.
C. Although the pillars are strangely irregular in shape, they feel uniquely natural.
D. Both B and C
8-10 Complete the short summary with words from the box.
transformed
permanent
extraordinary
installed
temporary
huge
Christo is an artist who is well known for his incredible
public art. The artist only shows his art for two weeks, so they
are not ___________________________. Miami Water Lilies,
is one example of how Christo __________________________
the environment. The amazing pink color that he used in
Miami Water Lilies is not a color that you find in nature, so it
was indeed a(n) _____________________________ artwork!
Other projects such as Valley Curtain are huge installations
which cost millions of dollars. Christo pays for these projects
by making drawings and selling them.
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Reading/Vocabulary 3
TEST 4 Chapter 6
Name: _______________
Vocabulary
1. Art has the power to change our ______________ of the world.
A. urban
B. touch
C. vision
D. transform
2. Park Güell is not very _______ for someone in a wheelchair, or a person who cannot walk up a lot
of steep stairs.
A. acclaimed
B. energetic
C. permanent
D. accessible
Circle T or F for these statements.
3. Public art can transform a place in a city making it more interesting.
T
F
4. An antonym of beneficial is helpful.
T
F
5. Seattle is a rural area.
T
F
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Reading/Vocabulary 3
TEST 4 Chapter 6
Name: _______________
Fill in the blanks with words from the box. One word is not used.
interaction
perspective
installations
negotiating
enhance
prestigious
6. After 26 years of planning and ____________, Christo and Jeanne-Claude were finally given
permission to install The Gates in February of 2005.
7. The creators of public art hope that it will invite ________________ with the art and people.
8. Public art often causes us to look at familiar surroundings from a different ____________.
9. The Space Needle in downtown Seattle is a very ________________ building because it is so well
known.
10. Public art makes us think and calms our life, which might even _______ our quality of life.
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