The Face of Modern Man Reading Answers

Dec 9, 2022

The Face of Modern Man Reading Answers contains five passages and 13 different types of questions. Candidates will be shown various question types with clear instructions in this IELTS Section. Reading Answers comprises three types of questions: Matching heading, sentence completion, and Choose the correct option. For the Matching heading, candidates need to thoroughly go through each passage. For sentence completion, candidates need to skim the passage for keywords and understand the concept. To choose the correct option, candidates must read the IELTS Reading passage and understand the statement provided.

Check: Get 10 Free IELTS Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for Free Trial Class Now

Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Face of Modern Man IELTS Reading Sample

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the Reading Passage below.

In response to the emergence of the ‘metrosexual’ male, In other words, an urban, sophisticated man who is fashionable, well-groomed and unashamedly committed to ensuring his appearance is the best it can be, a whole new industry has developed. According to research conducted on behalf of a leading health and beauty retailer in the UK, the market for male cosmetics and related products has grown by 800% since the year 2000 and is expected to continue to increase significantly. The male grooming products market has become the fastest-growing sector within the beauty and cosmetics industry, currently equivalent to around 1.5 billion pounds per annum.
Over the last decade, a large number of brands and companies catering for enhancement of the male image have been successfully established, such operations ranging from male-only spas, boutiques, personal hygiene products, hair and skincare ranges, and male magazines with a strong leaning towards men’s fashion. Jamie Cawley, a proprietor of a successful chain of London-based male grooming boutiques, holds that his company’s success in this highly competitive market can be attributed to the ‘exclusivity’ tactics they have employed, in that their products and services are clearly defined as male- orientated and distinctly separate to feminine products offered by other organizations. However, market analyst, Kim Sawyer, believes that future growth in the market can also be achieved through the sale of unisex products marketed to both genders, this strategy becoming increasingly easy to implement as men’s interest in appearance and grooming has become more of a social norm.
Traditionalists such as journalist Jim Howard contend that the turn-around in male attitudes which has led to the success of the industry would have been inconceivable a decade ago, given the conventional male role, psyche, and obligation to exude masculinity; however, behavioural scientist Professor Ruth Chesterton argues that the metro-sexual man of today is in fact a modern incarnation of the ‘dandy’ of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. British dandies of that period, who were often of middle-class backgrounds but imitated aristocratic lifestyles, were devoted to the cultivation of their physical appearance, development of a refined demeanour and hedonistic pursuits. In France, she adds, dandyism, in contrast, was also strongly linked to political ideology and embraced by youths wishing to clearly define themselves from members of the working class revolutionary social groups of the period.
Over recent decades, according to sociologist Ben Cameron, gender roles for both sexes have become less defined. According to research, he says, the achievement of status and success have become less important in younger generations of men, as has the need to repress emotions. Cameron defines the traditional masculine role within western societies – hegemonic masculinity – as an expectation that males demonstrate physical strength and fitness, be decisive, self-assured, rational, successful and in control. Meeting this list of criteria and avoiding situations of demonstrating weakness, being overly emotional or in any way ’inferior’, he says, has placed a great deal of pressure on many members of the male population. So restrictive can society’s pressure to behave in a ‘masculine’ fashion on males be, Professor Chesterton, states that in many situations men may respond in a way they deem acceptable to society, given their perceived gender role, rather than giving what they may actually consider being the best and most objective response.
Jim Howard says that learning and acquiring gender identity makes up a huge component of a child’s socialization and that a child who exhibits non-standard behavioural characteristics often encounters social and self-image difficulties due to the adverse reactions of their peers. According to Kim Sawyer, media images and messages also add to pressures associated with the male image, stating that even in these modern and changing times, hegemonic masculinity is often idolized and portrayed as the definitive male persona. Whilst male stereotypes and ideals vary from culture to culture, according to Professor Chesterton, a universal trait in stereotypical male behaviour is an increased likelihood to take risks than is generally found in female behaviour patterns.
For this reason, she attributes such behaviour to the influence of genetic predisposition as opposed to socially learned behaviour. Men, she says, are three times more likely to die due to accidents than females, a strong indication he says of their greater willingness to involve themselves in precarious situations. Ben Cameron also says that an attitude of invincibility is more dominant in males and is a predominant factor in the trend for fewer medical checkups in males and late diagnosis of chronic and terminal illness than in their more cautious and vigilant female counterparts. Jamie Cawley, however, remains optimistic that the metro-sexual culture will continue and that what society accepts as the face of masculinity will continue to change. He attributes this to a male revolt against the strict confines of gender roles, adding that such changes of attitudes have led and will continue to lead to the establishment of greater equality between the sexes.

Section 2

Solution With Explanation

Questions 1-4
Reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-G.
Write the correct number i to viii in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-D and F-G from the list of headings below.

List of Headings

Basis and predictions
Revolution or recurrence?
Servicing a growing demand
The surfacing of a new phenomenon
A long-held mindset and its downsides
Influence on minors
Hereditary predilection
Effects of external pressures

Paragraph B
Paragraph C
Paragraph D
Paragraph F
Paragraph G

[Guide: The candidates are required to read the given passage very carefully to answer the questions marked 1-6. Each passage can only have one option out of i-x headings as the correct answer.]

Question 1: Paragraph B

Answer: (iii) Servicing a growing demand.
Supporting Sentence: A large number of brands and companies catering for enhancement of the male image have been successfully established,
Keywords: Services, products, growth, and enhancement.
Keyword location: Paragraph B, lines 1, and 2.
Explanation: It has been said in the first and last lines of paragraph B that over the past few decades, a number of brands and organizations have been pushing for improvements in a variety of services, including male-only spas, boutiques, hair and skincare product lines, etc. The last clause of the paragraph took into account the possibility that offering products for both sexes could result in market expansion in the future. Therefore, as time goes on, there is a growing need for goods and services that are only available to men. As a result, choice (iii) works nicely for this sentence.

Question 2: Paragraph C:

Answer: (ii) Revolution or recurrence
Supporting Sentence: In France, she adds, dandyism, in contrast, was also strongly linked to political ideology and embraced by youths wishing to clearly define themselves from members of the working class revolutionary social groups of the period.
Keywords: dandyism, political
Keyword location: Paragraph C, Lines 8 & 9
Explanation: It is explained in the final few sentences of Paragraph C that dandyism was once closely associated with political beliefs and that the country's youth enthusiastically embraced it. They sought to distinguish themselves as members of the period's revolutionary social groups. As a result, choice (ii) works best for this sentence.

Question 3: Paragraph D:

Answer: (viii) Effects of external pressures
Supporting Sentence: Demonstrating weakness or being overly emotional or in any way ’inferior’, he says, has placed a great deal of pressure on many members of the male population.
Keyword: weakness, emotional, pressure
Keyword location: Paragraph D, lines 7 & 8
Explanation: According to paragraph D, it is less necessary for younger generations to communicate their emotions. It is also claimed that only men are expected to exhibit physical prowess and fitness, make decisions with confidence and reason, succeed, and maintain control. They cannot be in any way inferior, overly emotional, or weak. And as a result, males might react in a way that is socially acceptable rather than in line with what they may genuinely believe to be the finest and most objective reaction. As a result, guys are under a lot of strain, which has a big impact on them.

Question 4: Paragraph F

Answer: (vii) Hereditary predilection
Supporting Sentence: she attributes such behaviour to the influence of genetic predisposition as opposed to socially learned behaviour.
Keyword: behaviour, genetic
Keyword location: Paragraph F, Line 1
Explanation:Females relate behavior to genetic predisposition, as explained in paragraph F. Additionally, men are thought to be more prone than women to pass away in accidents. because they frequently engage in risky activities. Due to their sense of invincibility, men undergo fewer medical examinations than their more cautious and watchful female counterparts, which results in later detection of chronic and fatal illnesses in men.

Ques: From the information given in the reading passage, in questions 5-8, you have to write

TRUE if the statement conforms to the information given
FALSE if the statement doesn’t match the information
NOT GIVEN if no information is relevant to the statement

Sales in the female health and beauty markets have slightly dipped over recent years.
The rise of ‘dandyism’ in England and France is associated with related factors.
An emotional reaction is contradictory to hegemonic masculine behavior.
There is a correlation between men’s belief that they are indestructible and their decreased likelihood to seek medical consultation.

Question 5

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: The article makes no mention of the fall in female beauty and wellness market sales over the past few years. Therefore, the response is "Not Given."

Question 6

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: In France, she adds, dandyism, in contrast, was also strongly linked to political ideology and embraced by youths wishing to clearly define themselves from members of the working class revolutionary social groups of the period.
Keywords: Dandyism, France, Dandy
Keyword location: Paragraph C, line number 2, and 4.
Explanation: The last clause of paragraph C highlighted how dandyism, which was adopted by young people who preferred to define themselves as members of the working class revolutionary social groups of that era, was in conflict with and strongly related with political philosophy in France. We can thus assume that the assertion provided in the question does not correspond to the available data.

Question 7

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: Cameron defines the traditional masculine role within western societies – hegemonic masculinity – as an expectation that males demonstrate physical strength and fitness, be decisive, self-assured, rational, successful and in control. Meeting this list of criteria and avoiding situations of demonstrating weakness, being overly emotional or in any way ’inferior’
Keywords: Hegemonic masculinity, emotional, masculine.
Keyword location: In paragraph D, lines 3, and 4.
Explanation: Ben Cameron, a sociologist, claims that fulfilling the requirements of hegemonic masculinity, which demand that men in western society exhibit physical strength and fitness by avoiding situations where they might show weakness or be overly emotional or inferior, has put a lot of pressure on the member of the male community in paragraph D.

Question 8

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: Ben Cameron also says that an attitude of invincibility is more dominant in males and is a predominant factor in the trend for fewer medical checkups in males and late diagnosis of chronic and terminal illness than in their more cautious and vigilant female counterparts.
Keywords: Medical, invincibility.
Keyword location: In the last paragraph line number 2.
Explanation: The claim made by Kim Sawyer in paragraph F that men are three times more likely than women to die in accidents suggests that they voluntarily put themselves in risky situations. Ben Cameron asserts in the preceding paragraph that men tend to have a more dominant sense of invincibility, which contributes to fewer medical exam trends and later diagnoses of chronic and fatal illnesses in men. Given the information in the paragraph, we can infer from this statement that the given statement is true.

Ques: In questions 1-5, match the statements in Table A with the correct name from the list of contributors gave in Table B:

S. No.	Statement
1.	Male behavior patterns have changed in a way that would have been considered implausible in the past
2.	Traditional benchmarks of masculinity are often exacerbated by the press.
3.	Metro-sexual culture has developed as a response to modern men’s dissatisfaction with traditional images.
4.	The need to conform to society’s expectations of male behavior may impede men’s decision-making and judgment.
5.	There is potential in a market that makes no differentiation between products for males and females.

List of contributor
Jamie Cawley
Kim Sawyer
Jim Howard
Professor Ruth Chesterton

Answers:

Question 1

Answer: Ben Cameron
Supporting Sentence: Over recent decades, according to sociologist Ben Cameron, gender roles for both sexes have become less defined.
Keyword: Gender, defined
Keyword location: In paragraph D, line 1 & 2
Explanation: These words were told by Ben Cameron. He believes that the gender roles for both sexes has become less defined because of the changing times and peer pressure of the society.

Question 2

Answer: Kim Sawyer
Supporting Sentence: According to Kim Sawyer, media images and messages also add to pressures associated with the male image, stating that even in these modern and changing times.
Keyword: identity, gender
Keyword location: In paragraph E, line 2
Explanation:According to Kim Sawyer, the pressure from the media also has an impact on how men are perceived. Even in these contemporary times, men still have a constant need to live up to social expectations.

Question 3

Answer: Jamie Cawley
Supporting Sentence: The metro-sexual culture will continue and that what society accepts as the face of masculinity will continue to change.
Keyword: culture, society
Keyword location: In paragraph F, line 4
Explanation: According to Jamie Cawley, the definition of masculinity will alter as time progresses. The younger generation is too rebellious to accept the stereotype that society has created for men as their reality. As a result, it will keep changing in the years to come.

Question 4

Answer: Professor Ruth Chesterton
Supporting Sentence: Professor Ruth Chesterton argues that the metro-sexual man of today is in fact a modern incarnation of the ‘dandy’ of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century.
Keyword: metro-sexual, modern
Keyword location: in paragraph C, line 4 & 5
Explanation: According to Professor Ruth Chesterton, the modern man is expected to conform to social expectations, which may impair men's judgment and decision-making.

Question 5

Answer: Jim Howard
Supporting Sentence: Jim Howard contends that the turn-around in male attitudes which has led to the success of the industry would have been inconceivable a decade ago.
Keyword: attitudes, success
Keyword location: In paragraph C, line 1
Explanation:Jim Howard, a journalist, asserts that if men hadn't selected the traditional roles for themselves, the market that doesn't differentiate between men and women would have been prosperous years ago.

Read More IELTS Reading Related Samples