An Inspector Calls questions

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An Inspector Calls question collection

Review An Inspector Calls questions for English, with correct answers shown and coverage across the Birling family, Sheila, Eric and the Inspector; responsibility, class and gender; key quotations and dramatic structure.

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Question 1

Who wrote An Inspector Calls?
  1. J.B. Priestley
  2. Arthur Miller
  3. Willy Russell
  4. George Orwell

Question 2

An Inspector Calls is set in which year?
  1. 1912
  2. 1905
  3. 1939
  4. 1945

Question 3

An Inspector Calls was first performed in which year?
  1. 1945
  2. 1912
  3. 1926
  4. 1955

Question 4

In An Inspector Calls, whose house is the play mainly set in?
  1. Birlings
  2. Crofts
  3. Smiths
  4. Goole family

Question 5

In An Inspector Calls, what is Mr Birling's first name?
  1. Arthur
  2. Eric
  3. Gerald
  4. John

Question 6

In An Inspector Calls, what is Mrs Birling's first name?
  1. Sybil
  2. Sheila
  3. Edna
  4. Daisy

Question 7

In An Inspector Calls, who is Sheila's fiancé at the start?
  1. Gerald Croft
  2. Eric Birling
  3. Inspector Goole
  4. Alderman Meggarty

Question 8

In An Inspector Calls, Eva Smith also uses which name?
  1. Daisy Renton
  2. Milly Jones
  3. Rose Croft
  4. Edna Smith

Question 9

In An Inspector Calls, who first gets Eva Smith dismissed from work?
  1. Mr Birling
  2. Sheila
  3. Mrs Birling
  4. Gerald

Question 10

In An Inspector Calls, who gets Eva dismissed from Milwards?
  1. Sheila
  2. Edna
  3. Mrs Birling
  4. Gerald

Question 11

In An Inspector Calls, who has an affair with Daisy Renton?
  1. Gerald
  2. Eric
  3. Mr Birling
  4. Inspector Goole

Question 12

In An Inspector Calls, who steals money from Birling's office?
  1. Eric
  2. Gerald
  3. Sheila
  4. Mrs Birling

Question 13

In An Inspector Calls, who refuses Eva help at the charity committee?
  1. Mrs Birling
  2. Sheila
  3. Edna
  4. Gerald

Question 14

In An Inspector Calls, which character says she was "in that state"?
  1. Mrs Birling
  2. Sheila
  3. Edna
  4. Gerald

Question 15

In An Inspector Calls, who says the Titanic is "unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable"?
  1. Mr Birling
  2. Eric
  3. Inspector Goole
  4. Gerald

Question 16

In An Inspector Calls, which quote shows Birling's selfish worldview?
  1. A man has to make his own way
  2. We are members of one body
  3. These girls aren't cheap labour
  4. Public men have responsibilities

Question 17

In An Inspector Calls, who says "But these girls aren't cheap labour — they're people"?
  1. Sheila
  2. Mrs Birling
  3. Inspector Goole
  4. Gerald

Question 18

In An Inspector Calls, who says "Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges"?
  1. Inspector Goole
  2. Eric
  3. Gerald
  4. Sheila

Question 19

In An Inspector Calls, who says "We are members of one body"?
  1. Inspector Goole
  2. Mr Birling
  3. Gerald
  4. Eric

Question 20

In An Inspector Calls, who gives the warning about "fire and blood and anguish"?
  1. Inspector Goole
  2. Mr Birling
  3. Gerald
  4. Sheila

Question 21

In An Inspector Calls, what happens at the very end of the play?
  1. A phone call says a real inspector is coming
  2. Eva returns alive
  3. Gerald is arrested
  4. The engagement is restored

Question 22

How many acts does An Inspector Calls have?
  1. 3
  2. 2
  3. 4
  4. 5

Question 23

In An Inspector Calls, what is Edna's role in the house?
  1. Maid
  2. Cook
  3. Governess
  4. Housekeeper

Question 24

In An Inspector Calls, who is described as "half shy, half assertive"?
  1. Eric
  2. Gerald
  3. Mr Birling
  4. Inspector Goole

Question 25

In An Inspector Calls, who is most clearly shown changing by the end?
  1. Sheila and Eric
  2. Mr and Mrs Birling
  3. Gerald and Mr Birling
  4. Mr Birling and Edna

Question 26

In An Inspector Calls, what does the Inspector's one-at-a-time questioning create?
  1. Tension
  2. Comic relief
  3. A romantic mood
  4. A slower pace only

Question 27

In An Inspector Calls, what does Priestley mainly use Birling's Titanic prediction as?
  1. Dramatic irony
  2. Foreshadowing for Eva
  3. Comic wordplay
  4. A setting detail only

Question 28

In An Inspector Calls, what political view is the Inspector linked to?
  1. Socialism
  2. Monarchism
  3. Laissez-faire capitalism
  4. Anarchism

Question 29

In An Inspector Calls, which generation is shown as more willing to accept blame?
  1. The younger generation
  2. The older generation
  3. No generation
  4. Only Gerald

Question 30

In An Inspector Calls, which phrase best fits Mr Birling?
  1. Hard-headed businessman
  2. Idealistic reformer
  3. Selfless teacher
  4. Quiet observer

Question 31

In An Inspector Calls, why is the setting year 1912 significant for a 1945 audience?
  1. They know Birling's confident predictions are wrong
  2. It was Priestley's birth year
  3. It is after both world wars
  4. It avoids class issues

Question 32

In An Inspector Calls, what is Gerald's attitude at the end closest to?
  1. Move on and avoid consequences
  2. Accept blame fully
  3. Refuse all evidence
  4. Confess to police immediately

Question 33

In An Inspector Calls, what does the repeated focus on Eva Smith suggest?
  1. Working-class suffering is widespread
  2. Only one person matters
  3. The case is random
  4. The Inspector is unreliable

Question 34

In An Inspector Calls, what does the Inspector's method of revealing links in order create?
  1. Chain of events
  2. Comic misunderstanding
  3. Love triangle
  4. Courtroom defence

Question 35

In An Inspector Calls, which character is most associated with class prejudice against "girls of that class"?
  1. Mrs Birling
  2. Sheila
  3. Eric
  4. Edna

Question 36

In An Inspector Calls, who says "I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty"?
  1. Eric
  2. Gerald
  3. Mr Birling
  4. Inspector Goole

Question 37

In An Inspector Calls, which character helps expose Gerald's dishonesty in Act One?
  1. Sheila
  2. Mrs Birling
  3. Edna
  4. Mr Birling

Question 38

In An Inspector Calls, which term best describes the Inspector as a character?
  1. Moral force
  2. Comic servant
  3. Narrator
  4. Romantic hero

Question 39

How is An Inspector Calls best classified?
  1. As a play
  2. As a novella
  3. As an epic poem
  4. As a biography

Question 40

In An Inspector Calls, what does Priestley mainly use the Birlings to criticise?
  1. Selfishness and social inequality
  2. Science and religion
  3. Colonial travel
  4. School education

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Review An Inspector Calls questions for English, with correct answers shown and coverage across the Birling family, Sheila, Eric and the Inspector; responsibility, class and gender; key quotations and dramatic structure.

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