View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Eric say the woman he had an affair with and the woman who asked Sybil for help must have been the same woman?

2. Who does Arthur call?

3. Who reenters at the end of Act II?

4. What did Sybil dislike about Mrs. Birling?

5. How much money did Eric give Mrs. Birling?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sybil react when Inspector Goole shows her the photograph of Daisy Renton?

2. What is revealed to Eric about what happened while he was absent?

3. How does Arthur describe how Inspector Goole was able to trick most of the other characters?

4. What makes Gerald think Inspector Goole was not a real police officer?

5. What happened the night Eric met Mrs. Birling?

6. Why does Sybil change her mind and say the real culprit in Mrs. Birling’s suicide is not Mrs. Birling but the father of her child?

7. What is the difference between how Arthur and Sybil react to the revelation that Inspector Goole tricked them and how Eric and Sheila react?

8. What is the significance of Eric’s monologue in Act III?

9. Why does Inspector Goole blame the other characters collectively for Eva Smith’s suicide?

10. Why does Eric say he had sex with Mrs. Birling?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

By the end of the play, there is a marked dichotomy between how the two generations of the Birling household respond to the night’s events. Write a compare/contrast essay exploring the differences between how Arthur/Sybil and Eric/Sheila respond to the revelations about what each of them has done to Eva Smith/Daisy Renton/Mrs. Birling.

Essay Topic 2

Unlike those of the other characters, the revelation about Eric’s wrongdoing is twofold. He is also the last character to be interrogated by Inspector Goole, placing him at the center of the drama. Write an essay about the author’s choice to reveal Eric’s wrongdoings last and the impact that choice has on the play.

Essay Topic 3

Some dramas benefit from the presence of a third-person omniscient narrator. However, the play “An Inspector Calls” has none. Write an essay exploring how the choice by the author to exclude a narrator affects the play.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 858 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample