Practice questions for An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley - CCEA - GCSE English Literature Revision

Example questions

Use these questions to hone your knowledge of An Inspector Calls, and to practise using your notes and analysis in organised paragraphs that focus on how particular themes or ideas are shown in the play. There is an example answer in the following section to demonstrate how you can do this.

How does Priestley use the character of Gerald in An Inspector Calls?
Which characters in An Inspector Calls are least deserving of sympathy and why?
How does Priestley present family relationships in An Inspector Calls?
How does Priestley present young people in An Inspector Calls?
What does the setting of An Inspector Calls show us about Priestley’s attitude to British society?
What dramatic methods does Priestley use to show his feelings about capitalism in An Inspector Calls?

Example answer

Below is a demonstration of how to use the material in this section to answer an example essay question. The answer below is not a full essay, but only an extract of a longer answer showing some of the points that could be made.

Q: What does the setting of An Inspector Calls show us about Priestley’s attitude to British society?

A: Priestley’s An Inspector Calls mixes elements of crime thriller and morality play to illustrate Priestley’s views on society and his hope that would prevail for the good of all. Priestley fought in World War One and was involved in left-wing politics; he was passionate about the possibility of a new, fairer and better world in the wake of World War Two and this was the driving factor in him writing An Inspector Calls in just one week in 1945. He chose to set the play in 1912, before World War One, which allowed him to employ dramatic irony in referring to historical events within the play that audiences were aware had turned out very differently in the real world. His choice to set it in this time period shows the audience how things used to be, letting them see that massive changes had occurred in society and that maybe further change was possible. He also chooses to set it in one room in the home of the Birling family, who are wealthy but not “noble”. Seeing how the characters interact in this setting as they entertain an upper class guest, Gerald Croft, lets the audience judge the difference in their public and private behaviour. It also helps Priestley to make his point about how all of society is connected because, even though they are only seen in their lavish house, the family and their guest are all made aware by the Inspector over the course of the play that their actions have had serious repercussions outside the walls of their home. Priestley believed British society was too rooted in the past and full of people who felt money mattered more than other people, so his choice of setting helps illustrate this to the audience.

Setting the play in a single room has several effects. The room is described in stage directions as “heavily comfortable”, which suggests it is lavish and well-furnished but also that the luxury on show is a bit overdone. Mr Birling is proud of his wealth and enjoys describing himself as a “hard-headed businessman” but he did not come from money. He may have “heavily” furnished the house to loudly show off his prosperity, or it could be a sign that while he has money, he lacks taste and style. The fact the setting never changes also means the audience are constantly visually reminded of the family’s wealth and comfort, even when hearing about the terrible conditions and situations suffered by Eva Smith. This would be jarring at times, and helps the audience understand Priestley’s attitude to the upper classes who kept themselves comfortable while most suffered hardship. Setting the play solely in the Birling’s home meant Priestley could show the disconnect between the cosy life of the upper classes and the suffering of the majority of British society.

This essay could go on to make the following points, backed up by evidence from the play and analysis/interpretation of that evidence:

The single room setting allows a lighting change to be used to specifically show the change brought by the Inspector as he enters the Birlings’ home and punctures their bubble of comfortable ignorance, highlighting Priestley’s attitude to class awareness in British society
The 1912 setting lets Priestley show the situation of women in the pre-war period, illustrating through the symbol of Eva/Daisy and her plight (and, to a lesser extent, Sheila’s limited prospects) the hypocritical and harsh ways that British society treated women, especially young or working class women
Priestley creates dramatic irony through use of allusions (such as the Titanic and approaching war) to undermine the credibility of Mr Birling with the audience, and to critically question the role of men like him – capitalist, prosperous, exploitative and self-serving – in running British society, showing Priestley’s oppositional attitude to unchecked capitalism and the exploitation of labour.