Frederick Bremer
School
English Department
An Inspector Calls
Revision Activities
Frederick Bremer School English Department
Preparing for Unit 1 Section A: An Inspector Calls
There will be a choice of two questions on An Inspector Calls (questions
17 and 18 on the exam paper). You have 45 minutes to answer one of
these questions.
Your answer will be assessed for AO1 (interpretation) and AO2
(analysis).
According to the mark-scheme, a top band response will show:-an insightful understanding of the task and the text
Does your answer actually answer the exam question?
-close analysis of detail to support opinions
Have you based your answer on specific examples from the text?
-analysis of the writer‟s use of language and its effect on the audience
Have you written in PEE paragraphs?
Do you use literary terms?
Do you comment on Priestley’s intentions?
Do you comment on the effect on the audience?
-a convincing interpretation of the ideas and themes in the play
Do you understand how the examples you’ve used fit in with the bigger themes and issues in the
play?
Exam questions will assess your knowledge of characters or their
relationships, themes and issues in the text or will ask you to focus
on a particular moment and comment on how it fits with the rest of
the play.
Example questions are on the next page. Use these questions in your
revision.
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Frederick Bremer School English Department
KNOWLEDGE OF CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS
a) How far do you believe Mrs Birling is more responsible for the death of Eva Smith than the
other characters?
b) What do you think is Inspector Goole‟s role in the play? How does Priestley present him?
c) How does Priestley build sympathy for Eva Smith throughout the play?
d) How does Priestley present the change in Sheila during the course of the play An Inspector Calls?
How do you think this change reflects some of Priestley‟s ideas?
e) Write about the way the relationship between Gerald and Sheila develops during the play.
f) The audience never actually meets Eva Smith but only hears about her from different
characters. What does Priestley achieve by withholding Eva‟s character from the audience in
this way?
g) What is revealed about family relationships throughout the play?
h) How does the younger generation differ from the older generation in the play?
i) How does Priestley show that tension is at the heart of the Birling family?
KNOWLEDGE OF ISSUES AND THEMES
a) “An Inspector Calls is full of lies and deceit.” How far do you agree with this statement? What
methods does Priestley use to lead you to your view?
b) How is the theme of gender inequality explored in the play?
c) How does Priestley present the theme of class differences in An Inspector Calls?
d) How does Priestley present ideas about social duty in An Inspector Calls?
e) How does the play explore the issue of time and the past‟s impact on the present?
f) What do you think the Inspector set out to achieve? How successful do you think he is?
g) Priestley criticises the selfishness of people like the Birlings. What methods does he use to
present this selfishness?
h) An Inspector Calls has been called “a play of contrasts”. Write about how Priestley presents
some of the contrasts in the play.
CLOSE READING QUESTIONS
1) In the opening of the play, how does Priestley hint at events which are to come in the rest of
the play?
2) “The way that Priestley has written the end of this play makes it seem as though the play is
about to begin all over again.” How effective do you think this is as an ending to the play?
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Frederick Bremer School English Department
Eva Smith Chain of Events
The Inspector refers to the family‟s behaviour as a „chain of events‟. Complete
the „chain‟ below to record how each of them contributed to the girl‟s suicide.
Eva Smith
approaches
Arthur
Birling for a
raise in salary
Arthur
Birling sacks
her from
Birling & Co
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CHARACTER MIND-MAPS
Use the mind-maps below as the basis for practice essay questions. Each „arm‟ of the mind-map could
be a PEE paragraph but you will need to find appropriate quotations and discuss the effect of these.
Birling is aware that others are
socially superior to him and is
keen to impress the Croft
family
Birling is proud of his
social achievements and
boasts about these.
MR BIRLING
Birling is more
concerned about his
status and reputation
than discovering the
truth
Mrs Birling is concerned
with things being done
„properly‟
Birling has a selfish outlook on life;
he is not concerned about social
responsibility. He represents
Capitalism.
Birling puts business interests
first – especially before the
welfare of his employees
Although Mrs Birling has a sense of
responsibility to do „good deeds‟ by being
on the Women‟s Charity Organisation, she
feels no sense of responsibility for what
happens to Eva Smith
Mrs Birling is prejudiced
towards the lower classes
MRS BIRLING
Mrs Birling tries to
deny the things she
doesn‟t want to
believe
Mrs Birling does not want to learn
any lessons from the events of the
play. She and her husband symbolise
Priestley‟s fears of the privileged
classes continued following their
own interests
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Mrs Birling has the least
respect for the Inspector; her
pride means that she has the
furthest to „fall‟
Frederick Bremer School English Department
Even though she‟s obviously
never considered their plight
before, Sheila shows
compassion when she hears
about her father‟s employees
Sheila is angered by her
parents‟ refusal to learn
SHEILA
Sheila becomes more
mature as the play
progresses
Sheila is more perceptive than other
characters; she quickly works out that
Gerald was unfaithful and is the first to
understand the Inspector‟s methods
At the end of the play, it
is clear that Gerald does
not want to change. He
focuses his energy onto
protecting himself rather
than changing his
behaviour
Sheila is quick to admit her
responsibility and is horrified
by the part she played in the
events
Gerald is from a wealthy family
and has similar business ideas
to Mr Birling
GERALD CROFT
In some ways, Gerald seems
honourable: he shows a
reasonable attitude when he
rescued the girl from Alderman
Meggarty and made Eva
genuinely happy for a while.
However, Gerald then
used Eva for his own
purposes and
discarded her once she
was of no further use
to him.
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VERULAM SCHOOL ENGLISH FACULTY
Eric takes responsibility for his actions, recognising his
contribution to the destruction of Eva Smith.
Eric is awkward and
embarrassed at the start of the
play
He seems to have learnt something from the affair.
Eric is appalled by his
parents‟ refusal to face
the truth. He
represents the conflict
between the older and
younger generations.
ERIC
Eric is the only character who has behaved
illegally in the play – but the theft from
his father was in order to support the girl.
Does this also make him the most socially
aware character?
Priestley uses her as a symbol of
the common man or woman to
remind us of our need to take
responsibility for our actions
Despite Mrs Birling’s
prejudices against her, Eva is
shown to have morals
She never appears on
stage, we never know
her real name, but the
play revolves around
her. She exposes the
selfishness of the other
characters
Eric has a problem with alcohol
– his behaviour is uncontrolled
when he has been drinking
EVA SMITH/
DAISY RENTON/
THE GIRL
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She is pretty, a good worker,
and shows leadership potential.
Her only fault seems to have
been being born in the „wrong‟
social class
The Inspector is a deliberately mysterious
figure.
The Inspector seems all-knowing.
He speaks prophetically about
what will happen in the future
-what unanswered questions are we left
with?
-what impression does his name give the
audience?
The Inspector is sometimes
seen as a confessor-type
figure – he is able to
manipulate characters into
revealing things they
would rather keep hidden
THE
INSPECTOR
The Inspector is direct and
takes charge. He is singleminded in his focus and is not
intimidated by the Birlings.
The Inspector is Priestley‟s mouthpiece
– speaking up for the working classes
and representing his strong view that
morality is more of a concern than law.
The Inspector is a dramatic
device who links the characters
and their stories together. He
reveals the „chain of events‟
which led to the suicide.
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Frederick Bremer School English Department
KEY QUOTATION CHALLENGE
Complete the table below to develop your understanding of key quotations in
the play:
Quote
Arthur, you‟re not supposed to
say such things -
Who says? To whom?
I was awfully busy at the works
all that time
You‟re squiffy
We hard-headed practical
business men must say
something sometime
You seem to be a nice wellbehaved family A man has to make his own way
– has to look after himself...
Yes, she was in great agony.
It‟s the way I like to work. One
person and one line of enquiry
at a time.
If we were all responsible for
everything that happened to
everybody we‟d had anything to
do with, it would be very
awkward...
It isn‟t as if you can‟t go and
work somewhere else
I don‟t play golf
But these girls aren‟t cheap
labour – they‟re people
A nice little promising life
there, I thought...
You‟ve been through it – and
now you want to see somebody
else put through it
You see, we have to share
something. If there‟s nothing
else, we‟ll have to share our
guilt
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What does it show about the speaker?
Frederick Bremer School English Department
Girls of that class The girl...gave me a glance that
was nothing less than a cry for
help
You were the wonderful Fairy
Prince. You must have adored
it...
I‟m very sorry. But I think she
only had herself to blame.
I didn‟t even remember – that‟s
the hellish thing
I‟ve got to cover this up as soon
as I can
You don‟t understand anything.
You never did. You never even
tried...
We are members of one body.
We are responsible for each
other
I suppose we‟re all nice people
now
And I say the girl‟s dead and we
all helped to kill her – and that‟s
what matters You‟ll have a good laugh over it
yet
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WHAT IS PRIESTLEY SAYING ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY?
Complete the table below with quotations and explanations to help you
understand this key theme.
What is their involvement with
the girl?
Birling
Mrs Birling
Gerald
Sheila
Eric
Goole
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How do they respond to the challenge of the
Inspector? Do they take responsibility for
their actions?
Frederick Bremer School English Department
CLASS, STATUS, POWER
Complete the table below with quotations and explanations to help you
understand these key themes.
CLASS
What hints are we
given about their social
class?
STATUS
Is this character
concerned about their
status and reputation?
How do you know?
Birling
Mrs Birling
Gerald
Sheila
Eric
Eva Smith
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POWER
What power does this
character hold over other
characters? Do they use their
power well or do they abuse it?
Frederick Bremer School English Department
BATTLE OF THE SEXES?
Find quotations to illustrate how Priestley illustrates the different attitudes
towards gender in the play.
Birling
How does this character
(speech and action)
contribute to the theme
of gender?
Takes a traditional view
on the roles of men and
women.
Quotations
Treats his daughter like a
little girl.
Mrs Birling
Tells Sheila that wives
must accept coming
second place to their
husband‟s work.
Expects her husband to
take command.
Gerald
Gerald has exploited Eva,
even if it was
unintentional.
Sheila
Unlike her mother, Sheila
does not take her
mother‟s deferent
attitude to men. She
asserts herself.
Eric
Eva Smith
Eric admits he has
exploited Eva but feels
guilty about it.
Has not lived up to his
father‟s expectations of
what a man should be/do
Her gender made her
vulnerable and a victim
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A central conflict in the play is the difference between the older and the
younger generations. Use the points below to find quotations to help plan an
essay about the contrast between the generations in the play.
THE GENERATIONS SPECTRUM
YOUNGER GENERATION

Goole suggests the younger generation are more open to moral growth

Eric feels misunderstood and overlooked by the older generation

Eric objects to the older generations‟ view that they can return to normal if Goole was
a hoax

Sheila has behaved thoughtlessly and immaturely, but learns from the fright over Eva
GERALD CROFT

In what ways is Gerald similar to the younger generation?

In what ways is Gerald similar to the older generation?
OLDER GENERATION

Mr Birling feels his experience gives him the right to lecture his children

Mr Birling does not learn anything at the end of the play – his only concern is
avoiding scandal

Mrs Birling tries to rule Sheila and Eric but this is ineffectual
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Frederick Bremer School English Department
PRIESTLEY’S USE OF LANGUAGE
Find quotations to support each of the points below. Try to identify the
technique being used and comment on the effect on the audience.
Extension: consider how Priestley has used language to reinforce themes and ideas in the play
Metaphors:
The language used reflects the
Edwardian setting;
expressions which seem
outdated today place the play
in its context
„a wall‟
„a rope‟
„fire and blood and
anguish‟
LANGUAGE
Some characters use
euphemisms to refer to
taboo subjects – this
helps to illustrate the
theme of hypocrisy and
public image
The Inspector repeats
words other characters
have used and manipulates
them for his own ends
Priestley uses language
to construct character:-
*Mr Birling‟s long
monologues give us a
good impression of his
pompous character
Priestley uses dashes and
interruptions frequently to suggest
the disjointed way in which the
characters are speaking
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*The Inspector‟s speech
is direct and emotive,
helping create pity for
the girl
Frederick Bremer School English Department
Concepts of Time in ‘An Inspector Calls’
Time is an important factor in Priestley‟s play. He wrote the play for an audience coming out
of the horrors of the Second World War, yet he set his play in 1912, two years before the start
of the First World War. At the end of the play we are left with a sense that the events are
going to start all over again. We wonder whether things will be different and how the
characters will behave.
The Inspector has a mystical, almost unworldly, quality. Consider the theories of time
detailed below and how they relate to the role of the Inspector.
Theory
How it relates to the play
Ouspensky’s Theory: He suggests that when
we die we re-enter our life once more from the
beginning. We are born again to the same
parents and continue to repeat all the events
of our life as before. This cycle of identical
lives would go on being repeated if we
changed nothing of significance. If, however,
we improved in some spiritual way, we
convert the circle into a spiral of events that
would, if we continued to make significant
improvements, eventually open the way for us
to escape from the repetitions and into a new
life in which we did not repeat our mistakes.
Dunne’s Theory: He laid out the idea that
you could be given the gist of seeing forward
in time as well as looking back. This would
mean that just as you can look back and see
what actions led to your present situation,
you could also look forward to see the
consequences of your actions. So, if you
wished, you could change those actions and
so avoid the consequences.
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