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

Which family's home is the main setting of An Inspector Calls?
  1. The Birlings
  2. The Crofts
  3. The Smiths
  4. The Meggartys

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

Who refuses Eva help from the charity committee?
  1. Mrs Birling
  2. Mr Birling
  3. Gerald Croft
  4. Alderman Meggarty

Question 14

Who dismisses Eva as “a girl of that sort”?
  1. Mrs Birling
  2. Mr Birling
  3. Gerald Croft
  4. Inspector Goole

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

Who says “Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges”?
  1. Inspector Goole
  2. Mr Birling
  3. Gerald Croft
  4. Mrs Birling

Question 19

Who says “We are members of one body”?
  1. Inspector Goole
  2. Mr Birling
  3. Gerald Croft
  4. Mrs Birling

Question 20

Who warns of “fire and blood and anguish”?
  1. Inspector Goole
  2. Mr Birling
  3. Gerald Croft
  4. Mrs Birling

Question 21

What happens at the very end of An Inspector Calls?
  1. A police inspector is on the way
  2. Gerald returns the ring to Sheila
  3. Mr Birling learns no girl has died
  4. Inspector Goole returns to the dining room

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

What does the Inspector's one-at-a-time questioning create?
  1. Tension
  2. Dramatic irony
  3. Comic relief
  4. Pathos

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

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

Which generation is more willing to accept blame?
  1. The younger generation
  2. The older generation
  3. Both generations equally
  4. Neither generation overall

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

Why is the 1912 setting significant for the first audiences in 1945?
  1. They know Birling's confident predictions fail
  2. They share Birling's confidence about the future
  3. They see events after the welfare state began
  4. They treat the investigation as contemporary news

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

What does the repeated focus on Eva Smith suggest?
  1. Working-class suffering is widespread
  2. Her experience is an isolated case
  3. Wealthy families suffer most
  4. The Inspector cares about one person alone

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

Who is most associated with prejudice against “girls of that class”?
  1. Mrs Birling
  2. Inspector Goole
  3. Gerald Croft
  4. Eric Birling

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

What does Priestley mainly use the Birlings to criticise?
  1. Selfishness and social inequality
  2. Personal ambition and jealousy
  3. War and national identity
  4. Faith and the supernatural

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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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