1.

“The Titanic - she sails next week… absolutely unsinkable.”

Who said this?

Mr. Birling said this during Act 1, while giving a speech to Gerald and Eric.

Context:

The family is celebrating Sheila and Gerald’s engagement. Mr. Birling is expressing his confident and capitalist view of progress and industry.

Significance:

This dramatic irony (Titanic sank) undermines Mr. Birling’s authority and shows how wrong and arrogant he is. It reflects the theme of ignorance and false confidence of the upper class.

Who said this to who in the play / when or why did the narrator mention this?

Said by Inspector Goole to Mr. Birling, during their argument in Act 2. The inspector interrupts him with these words,, reminding him that public men are meant to be made answerable for their moral action, and not just influential.

What was the context? (Where were these people? What happened before this quote was said? What were they talking about?)

The scene is in the Birling dining room, having had Mr. Birling exposed by the Inspector as having had something to do with Eva Smith's dismissal. Mr. Birling tries to excuse himself by playing up his status and power, but is stopped by the Inspector, who reminds him that being a "public man" is not all privileges but has responsibilities too.

What is its significance? (What is the deeper meaning of this quote? What does it tell us about the character/s, plot development and theme/s in the novel?)

It is a vivid reminder of the theme of social responsibility, with the tension between Mr. Birling's self-centered assumptions and the Inspector's moral intervention. It is a reminder of the generation gapand the call for a fairer society by Priestley.