Leading Streak Today
Your Streak Today
Leading Streak Today
Your Streak Today
Eva Smith kept a diary according to the Inspector.
An Inspector Calls - Extract 2
This GCSE English Literature quiz will test you on an extract from An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley.
It’s a good idea to practise several extract questions. Analysing brief passages from a text will really help you to develop your skills in close reading. This is the second of two extract questions for An Inspector Calls. This passage appears much earlier in the play than the first extract. You will notice that the mood and atmosphere are different. Once again there are only four characters present: the Inspector, Mr Birling, Gerald and Eric. They are discussing Eva Smith, a woman who is not present, but whose terrible fate dominates the play. 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.
Go straight to Quiz
BIRLING [after a pause, with a touch of impatience]: Well, what is it then?
INSPECTOR: I’d like some information, if you don’t mind, Mr Birling. Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course.
ERIC [involuntarily]: My God!
INSPECTOR: Yes, she was in great agony. They did everything they could for her at the Infirmary, but she died. Suicide of course.
BIRLING [rather impatiently]: Yes, yes. Horrible business. But I don’t understand why you should come here, Inspector —
INSPECTOR [cutting through, massively]: I’ve been round to the room she had, and she’d left a letter there and a sort of diary. Like a lot of these young women who get into various kinds of trouble, she’d used more than one name. But her original name — her real name — was Eva Smith.
BIRLING [thoughtfully]: Eva Smith?
INSPECTOR: Do you remember her, Mr Birling?
BIRLING [slowly]: No — I seem to remember hearing that name — Eva Smith — somewhere. But it doesn’t convey anything to me. And I don’t see where I come into this.
INSPECTOR: She was employed in your works at one time.
BIRLING: Oh — that’s it, is it? Well, we’ve several hundred young women there, y’know, and they keep changing.
INSPECTOR: This young woman, Eva Smith, was a bit out of the ordinary. I found a photograph of her in her lodgings. Perhaps you’d remember her from that.
[INSPECTOR takes a photograph, about postcard size, out of his pocket and goes to BIRLING. Both GERALD and ERIC rise to have a look at the photograph, but the INSPECTOR interposes himself between them and the photograph. They are surprised and rather annoyed. BIRLING stares hard, and with recognition, at the photograph, which the INSPECTOR then replaces in his pocket.]
GERALD [showing annoyance]: Any particular reason why I shouldn’t see this girl’s photograph, Inspector?
INSPECTOR [coolly, looking hard at him]: There might be.
ERIC: And the same applies to me, I suppose?
INSPECTOR: Yes.
GERALD: I can’t imagine what it could be.
ERIC: Neither can I.
BIRLING: And I must say, I agree with them, Inspector.
INSPECTOR: It’s the way I like to go to work. One person and one line of inquiry at a time. Otherwise there’s a muddle.
BIRLING: I see. Sensible really.
J. B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls and Other Plays (Penguin Books, 1969)
BIRLING [after a pause, with a touch of impatience]: Well, what is it then?
INSPECTOR: I’d like some information, if you don’t mind, Mr Birling. Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course.
ERIC [involuntarily]: My God!
INSPECTOR: Yes, she was in great agony. They did everything they could for her at the Infirmary, but she died. Suicide of course.
BIRLING [rather impatiently]: Yes, yes. Horrible business. But I don’t understand why you should come here, Inspector —
INSPECTOR [cutting through, massively]: I’ve been round to the room she had, and she’d left a letter there and a sort of diary. Like a lot of these young women who get into various kinds of trouble, she’d used more than one name. But her original name — her real name — was Eva Smith.
BIRLING [thoughtfully]: Eva Smith?
INSPECTOR: Do you remember her, Mr Birling?
BIRLING [slowly]: No — I seem to remember hearing that name — Eva Smith — somewhere. But it doesn’t convey anything to me. And I don’t see where I come into this.
INSPECTOR: She was employed in your works at one time.
BIRLING: Oh — that’s it, is it? Well, we’ve several hundred young women there, y’know, and they keep changing.
INSPECTOR: This young woman, Eva Smith, was a bit out of the ordinary. I found a photograph of her in her lodgings. Perhaps you’d remember her from that.
[INSPECTOR takes a photograph, about postcard size, out of his pocket and goes to BIRLING. Both GERALD and ERIC rise to have a look at the photograph, but the INSPECTOR interposes himself between them and the photograph. They are surprised and rather annoyed. BIRLING stares hard, and with recognition, at the photograph, which the INSPECTOR then replaces in his pocket.]
GERALD [showing annoyance]: Any particular reason why I shouldn’t see this girl’s photograph, Inspector?
INSPECTOR [coolly, looking hard at him]: There might be.
ERIC: And the same applies to me, I suppose?
INSPECTOR: Yes.
GERALD: I can’t imagine what it could be.
ERIC: Neither can I.
BIRLING: And I must say, I agree with them, Inspector.
INSPECTOR: It’s the way I like to go to work. One person and one line of inquiry at a time. Otherwise there’s a muddle.
BIRLING: I see. Sensible really.
J. B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls and Other Plays (Penguin Books, 1969)
1 .
What is the immediate context to this passage?
Eric has just returned from a stroll
Mr Birling, Eric and Gerald have been sharing some port while Mrs Birling and Sheila wait for the men to join them
The entire family were gathered in the dining room in celebration of the engagement
Mrs Birling has been lecturing Sheila
The arrival of the Inspector interrupts Mr Birling's lecture to the two younger men on responsibility
2 .
What immediately follows?
The Inspector interrogates Mr Birling
The Inspector interrogates Mrs Birling
The Inspector interrogates Sheila
The Inspector interrogates Gerald
Mr Birling is the first to be interrogated
3 .
Which line best conveys the disposable nature of human labour to men like Mr Birling?
"Well, we've several hundred young women there y'know, and they keep changing."
"I don't see where I come into this."
"Yes, yes. Horrible business."
"And I must say, I agree with them, Inspector."
Mr Birling speaks as if the changing workforce is entirely out of his control, as if he does not personally sack workers
4 .
Why will the Inspector not show Gerald the photograph?
Mr Birling would be ashamed for Gerald to know more than necessary about the case
Eric will not allow Gerald to know because he has not yet married into the Birling family
The Inspector thinks the incident has nothing to do with Gerald
Gerald does not yet know that he will also be interrogated
Later the family realise they might not all have been shown the same photograph
5 .
Which word expresses the Inspector's attitude toward Gerald?
Impatient
Thoughtful
Cool
Annoyed
The stage directions specify that the Inspector responds "coolly" to Gerald's request to see the photograph
6 .
Does Mr Birling know who Eva Smith is?
Yes, he remembers her name very clearly
Yes, he recognises her photograph
No, he cannot recall her name or her face
No, because Eva Smith never worked for Mr Birling
He stares at her photo "with recognition"
7 .
Which of the following accurately depicts the changes in Mr Birling's attitude to the Inspector conveyed in this passage?
Resistance → resignation → thoughtful listening → impatience
Thoughtful listening → impatience → resignation → resistance
Resistance → resignation → impatience → thoughtful listening
Impatience → thoughtful listening → resistance → resignation
When reading drama, it is important to pay attention to the stage directions
8 .
The Inspector tells the men that Eva Smith used more than one name. Why will this be important later?
The Inspector's comment helps to convince the family that they each knew the same woman
By the end of the play, Gerald and the Birlings realise that they might have each been speaking of a different woman, rather than the same woman who changed names to avoid trouble
In some ways it does not matter who "Eva Smith" is because each member of the family has mistreated a poor young woman, making her situation worse
All of the above
At the end of the play, only Eric and Sheila are willing to acknowledge that they are still guilty whether Eva Smith, Daisy Renton and the pregnant young woman who appealed for help are the same or different women
9 .
How could the mood of this passage best be described?
Sorrowful
Cheerful
Tense
Threatening
The audience realises by the Inspector's manner that the unwilling men will be forced to listen to him. The men are slow to realise they might be held accountable to someone below their social status and this disjunction creates some tension in the scene
10 .
Who shows any sign of sympathy with Eva Smith?
Mr Birling
Gerald
Eric
None of the above
After hearing about the terrible form of Eva Smith's suicide, Eric exclaims, "My God!". Neither Mr Birling nor Gerald comment
**Unlimited Quizzes Await You! 🚀**
Hey there, quiz champ! 🌟 You've already tackled today's free questions.
Ready for more?
Ready for more?
🔓 Unlock UNLIMITED Quizzes and challenge yourself every day. But that's
not all...
not all...
🔥 As a Subscriber you can join our thrilling "Daily Streak" against other
quizzers. Try to win a coveted spot on our Hall of Fame Page.
quizzers. Try to win a coveted spot on our Hall of Fame Page.
Don't miss out! Join us now and keep the fun rolling. 🎉
**Unlimited Quizzes Await You! 🚀**
Hey there, quiz champ! 🌟 You've already tackled today's free questions. Ready for more?
🔓 Unlock UNLIMITED Quizzes and challenge yourself every day. But that's not all...
🔥 As a Subscriber you can join our thrilling "Daily Streak" against other quizzers. Try to win a coveted spot on our Hall of Fame Page.
Don't miss out! Join us now and keep the fun rolling. 🎉
Here To Help
Our Social Circles
© Copyright 2016-2024 - Education Quizzes
Work Innovate Ltd - Design | Development |
Marketing
