Quizzing yourself beats rereading, because the effort of recalling an answer is what fixes it in memory. Work through these An Inspector Calls questions and try to answer each one before you reveal it. They cover plot, character, context and quotes, so they also show you where your revision still has gaps.
Plot questions
What are the Birlings celebrating at the start of the play?
The engagement of their daughter Sheila to Gerald Croft.
Why did Mr Birling sack Eva Smith from his factory?
She helped lead a strike asking for a small pay rise, so he dismissed her as a troublemaker.
What name was Eva using when Gerald knew her?
Daisy Renton. He kept her as his mistress before ending the affair.
Why is Mrs Birling's demand that the father be punished so ironic?
The father of Eva's child is her own son, Eric, so she has unknowingly condemned her family and grandchild.
What happens in the final moments of the play?
A phone call reveals a girl has just died and a real inspector is on his way, suggesting the reckoning is beginning again.
Character questions
Which two characters genuinely change and accept responsibility?
Sheila and Eric, the younger generation.
Which characters refuse to change and worry mainly about reputation?
Mr and Mrs Birling, and, by the end, Gerald.
What is strange about the Inspector's name and manner?
His name, Goole, sounds like 'ghoul', and he seems to know everything already, hinting he is more than a real policeman.
Context questions
When was the play written, and when is it set?
Written in 1945, at the end of the Second World War, but set in 1912.
What was Priestley's political outlook?
He was a socialist who believed in social responsibility and a fairer society.
Name one thing Mr Birling is confidently wrong about.
He calls the Titanic 'unsinkable' and says there will be no war, both examples of dramatic irony.
Quote and theme questions
What does the Inspector mean by "we are members of one body"?
That society is interconnected and we are all responsible for one another, the opposite of Birling's individualism.
Whose line is "girls of that class", and what does it show?
Mrs Birling's. It shows her class prejudice and contempt for the working poor.
Fill any gaps this quiz found using the summary, the key quotes page, the characters and the context page.