What type of firearm action involves the shooter manually cycling the action by moving a fore-end for each shot?

The action described in the question is characterized by the shooter manually cycling the action to load each round, which is precisely what pump action firearms do. In a pump action shotgun or rifle, the shooter operates a sliding fore-end for ejecting the spent cartridge and chambering a new round by pulling the fore-end back and then pushing it forward. This manual effort to cycle the action distinguishes pump action from other types of actions.

In contrast, lever action firearms operate by using a lever mechanism to perform similar tasks, but the cycling is achieved through a lever, not a fore-end. Break action firearms require the user to physically break the action open to load and unload cartridges, which does not involve cycling a fore-end. Semi-automatic firearms automate the cycling of the action, ejecting the spent case and chambering a new round using the energy from the fired cartridge, which means the user does not need to manually cycle the action for each shot.

Therefore, the operation of using a fore-end for each shot is unique to pump action firearms, making it the correct answer.