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What do you know about An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley?
An Inspector Calls - Extract 1
This is the first of two GCSE English Literature extract questions for An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley. You will notice that there are only four characters in this passage: the Inspector, Mrs Birling, Mr Birling and Sheila. Where are the others? Read the passage through at least twice before answering the questions. When answering, try to remember everything you know about the play and its themes, but also pay very close attention to the details of this particular passage.
How to answer an extract question in an exam:
When preparing to answer an extract question, be sure to read through the passage more than once. Sometimes it’s a good idea to read through first without stopping, then to read again more slowly, making notes or annotations.
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INSPECTOR: You’re not even sorry now, when you know what happened to the girl?
MRS BIRLING: I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at all.
INSPECTOR: Who is to blame then?
MRS BIRLING: First, the girl herself.
SHEILA [bitterly]: For letting Father and me have her chucked out of her jobs!
MRS BIRLING: Secondly, I blame the young man who was the father of the child she was going to have. If, as she said, he didn’t belong to her class, and was some drunken young idler, then that’s all the more reason he shouldn’t escape. He should be made an example of. If the girl’s death is due to anybody, then it’s due to him.
INSPECTOR: And if her story is true — that he was stealing money —
MRS BIRLING [rather agitated now]: There’s no point in assuming that —
INSPECTOR: But suppose we do, what then?
MRS BIRLING: Then he’d be entirely responsible — because the girl wouldn’t have come to us, and have been refused assistance, if it hadn’t been for him —
INSPECTOR: So he’s the chief culprit anyhow.
MRS BIRLING: Certainly. And he ought to be dealt with very severely —
SHEILA [with sudden alarm]: Mother — stop — stop!
BIRLING: Be quiet, Sheila!
SHEILA: But don’t you see —–
MRS BIRLING [severely]: You’re behaving like an hysterical child tonight. [SHEILA begins crying quietly. MRS BIRLING turns to INSPECTOR.] And if you’d take steps to find this young man and then make sure that he’s compelled to confess in public his responsibility — instead of staying here asking quite unnecessary questions — then you really would be doing your duty.
INSPECTOR [grimly]: Don’t worry, Mrs Birling. I shall do my duty. [He looks at his watch.]
J. B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls and Other Plays (Penguin Books, 1969)
INSPECTOR: You’re not even sorry now, when you know what happened to the girl?
MRS BIRLING: I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at all.
INSPECTOR: Who is to blame then?
MRS BIRLING: First, the girl herself.
SHEILA [bitterly]: For letting Father and me have her chucked out of her jobs!
MRS BIRLING: Secondly, I blame the young man who was the father of the child she was going to have. If, as she said, he didn’t belong to her class, and was some drunken young idler, then that’s all the more reason he shouldn’t escape. He should be made an example of. If the girl’s death is due to anybody, then it’s due to him.
INSPECTOR: And if her story is true — that he was stealing money —
MRS BIRLING [rather agitated now]: There’s no point in assuming that —
INSPECTOR: But suppose we do, what then?
MRS BIRLING: Then he’d be entirely responsible — because the girl wouldn’t have come to us, and have been refused assistance, if it hadn’t been for him —
INSPECTOR: So he’s the chief culprit anyhow.
MRS BIRLING: Certainly. And he ought to be dealt with very severely —
SHEILA [with sudden alarm]: Mother — stop — stop!
BIRLING: Be quiet, Sheila!
SHEILA: But don’t you see —–
MRS BIRLING [severely]: You’re behaving like an hysterical child tonight. [SHEILA begins crying quietly. MRS BIRLING turns to INSPECTOR.] And if you’d take steps to find this young man and then make sure that he’s compelled to confess in public his responsibility — instead of staying here asking quite unnecessary questions — then you really would be doing your duty.
INSPECTOR [grimly]: Don’t worry, Mrs Birling. I shall do my duty. [He looks at his watch.]
J. B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls and Other Plays (Penguin Books, 1969)
1 .
What is the immediate context for this passage?
Sheila has just recognised her own guilt in getting Eva Smith fired
Mrs Birling has just been confronted by the Inspector with her own involvement in Eva Smith's death
Gerald has just returned from his walk
Mr Birling has been angrily denying any involvement in the young woman's death
Mrs Birling has been justifying her decision not to help the young woman and easily slides into insisting that the man who got Eva pregnant should be forced to face the consequences of his actions
2 .
What immediately follows this passage?
Eric returns and Act Two ends
Gerald returns and Act Three ends
Mr Birling phones the local police
Mrs Birling faints
The family realise that Eric is the young man responsible for Eva Smith's pregnancy just as Eric returns home. Act Two ends dramatically with a curtain fall after Eric opens the door
3 .
Who is the first to realise the implications of the Inspector's line of questioning?
Mr Birling
Mrs Birling
Sheila
None of the above
Sheila is the first to realise that her mother is condemning Eric without knowing it
4 .
Which word best describes the mood of this passage?
Hopeful
Melancholic
Light-hearted
Foreboding
The audience, along with Sheila, understands exactly whom Mrs Birling has condemned and can foresee the unpleasant scene when Eric will be confronted by the Inspector
5 .
Unlike the rest of her family, Sheila understands their responsibility for Eva Smith's death. Which of the following lines does NOT help create this impression?
"But don't you see — "
"Mother — stop — stop!"
"So he's the chief culprit anyhow."
"For letting Father and me have her chucked out of her jobs!"
Sheila understands her father's guilt and then her own. She is the first of the family, besides Eric himself, to see her brother's guilt
6 .
Which of the following statements most accurately describes the Inspector's questioning style in this passage?
He leads Mrs Birling into stating her honest opinions through a series of questions and through appearing to agree with her
He tricks Mrs Birling into admitting to beliefs which she does not really hold
He persuades Mrs Birling to be illogical
He makes Mrs Birling appear to hold prejudices which she does not really hold
Mrs Birling would not be so quick to condemn her own son to anyone outside the family. She is more honest about her opinions because she thinks they apply to 'some drunken young idler' unknown to her
7 .
What is the significance of the Inspector's statement, "Don’t worry, Mrs Birling. I shall do my duty"?
The Inspector is avoiding his duty which Mrs Birling has tried to prompt him to do
The Inspector's next duty is to question Eric, although Mrs Birling does not yet understand this
The Inspector misunderstands Mrs Birling's concerns
This line demonstrates the Inspector's involvement in matters which do not concern him
Mrs Birling tries to dismiss the Inspector by implying that he should be looking for the culprit responsible for Eva Smith's pregnancy
8 .
Which stage direction emphasises that the Inspector must wait for Eric to return?
Sheila begins crying quietly
Mrs Birling turns to the Inspector
The Inspector looks at his watch
All of the above
Even when the Inspector looks at his watch, Mrs Birling still does not understand the implications of his continuing presence in her house
9 .
What does Sheila's crying reveal?
She is sorry for her brother and for the tragic fate of Eva Smith
She is behaving childishly, as her parents suggest
She does not yet realise how important the situation is
She is young and silly
Eric was the only member of the family not yet implicated in Eva Smith's death
10 .
Which language choices demonstrate Mrs Birling's firm convictions while also ironically displaying her own hypocrisy?
Blame, escape, idler
Girl, child, example
Blame, confess, responsibility
Duty, assistance, culprit
Mrs Birling refuses to acknowledge her own responsibility, does not confess except when forced to face the facts, and does not accept blame for her behaviour
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