An Inspector Calls Quotes

Question 1

Mr Birling:

1) “You’ll hear some people say-“
2) ”Unsinkable-“
3) ”I speak as-“
4) ”A man has to make his own way-“
5) ”Still I can‘t accept-“
6) ”Wretched-“
7) ”It’s my duty-“
8) ”There’s every excuse-“

Answer 1

1) ”-that war’s inevitable. And to that I say-fiddlesticks!”
2) ”-absolutely unsinkable.”
3) ”-a hard-headed businessman.”
4) ”-and look after himself, and his own.”
5) ”-any responsibility.”
6) ”-girl’s suicide.”
7) ”-to keep labour costs down.”
8) ”-for what your mother and I did.”

Question 2

Mrs Birling:

1) ”Please don’t-“
2) ”I don’t think we-“
3) ”That-I consider-“
4) ”I’m very sorry. But I think-“
5) ”I blame the young man-“
6) ”Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I say-“
7) ”You know of course that my husband was Lord Mayor-“

Answer 2

1) ”-contradict me like that.”
2) ”-can help you much.”
3) ”-a trifle impertinent, Inspector.”
4) ”-she had only herself to blame.”
5) ”-who was the father of the child.”
6) ”-I couldn’t imagine a real police inspector talking to us like that.”
7) ”-only two years ago and that he’s a magistrate.”

Question 3

Gerald Croft:

1) ”After all y’know, we’re-“
2) ”(distressed) Sorry-I-well, I’ve suddenly-“
3) ”I suppose it was inevitable. She was young and pretty and warm hearted-“
4) ”It’s hard to say. I didn’t feel-“
5) ”She knew it couldn’t last-“
6) ”I insisted on a parting gift of enough money - even though it wasn’t very much-“

Answer 3

1) ”-respectable citizens and not criminals.”
2) ”-realised-taken it in properly-that she’s dead-“
3) ”and intensely grateful. I became at once the most important person in her life - you understand?”
4) ”-about her as she felt about me.”
5) ”-hadn’t expected it to last.”
6) ”-to see her through to the end of the year.”

Question 4

Sheila Birling:

1) ”Run along-“
2) ”Oh how horrible!-“
3) ”These girls aren’t cheap labour-“
4) ”But she was very pretty and looked-“
5) ”I’ll never, never do it again to-“
6) ”The point is-“
7) ”(bitterly) I suppose we’re-“
8) ”I remember what he said, how he looked and what he made me feel-“

Answer 4

1) ”-Sheila.” (Mr Birling)
2) ”-Was it an accident?”
3) ”-they’re people!”
4) ”-as if she could take care of herself.”
5) ”-anybody.”
6) ”-you don’t seem to have learned anything.”
7) ”-all nice people now.”
8) ”-Fire and blood and anguish. And it frightens me the way you talk.”

Question 5

Eric Birling:

1) ”Yes I know - but still -“
2) ”You’re-“
3) ”I was in that state when a chap-“
4) ”I wasn’t in love with her or anything-“
5) ”No. She didn’t want me to marry her. Said I didn’t love her-and all that-“
6) ”Just used her for the end of a stupid drunken evening-“
7) ”Your own grandchild-you killed-“
8) ”And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped-“

Answer 5

1) ”-Just let me finish Eric.”
2) ”-squiffy.” (Sheila)
3) ”-easily turns nasty-and I threatened to make a row.”
4) ”-but I liked her-she was pretty and a good sport-“
5) ”-In a way, she treated me-as if I were a kid.”
6) ”-as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person.” (Inspector)
7) ”-them both-damn you, damn you-“
8) ”-to kill her-and that’s what matters.”

Question 6

Inspector:

1) ”You see, we have to share something. If there’s nothing else-“
2) ”Public men, Mr Birling-“
3) ”One Eva Smith has gone-but there are millions and millions and millions-“
4) ”If men will not learn that lesson-“
5) ”Sometimes there isn’t as much difference as you think-“
6) ”And you think young women ought to be-“

Answer 6

1) ”-we’ll have to share our guilt.”
2) ”-have responsibilities as well as privileges.”
3) ”-of Eva Smiths and John Smiths left with us.”
4) ”-they will be taught it in fire, blood and anguish.”
5) ”-often, if it was left to me, I wouldn’t know where to draw the line.”
6) ”-against unpleasant and disturbing things?”