The Peace Corps

Read the following sentence from the passage: "The opportunity must be seized, through the judgment of the President, and the vigor of the executive, and the cooperation of the Congress" (paragraph 3). Which word best represents the meaning of the word vigor in the sentence?

• strength

• quickness

• drive

• healthiness

Read the following sentence from the passage: "I come here tonight asking your support for this country over the next decade." (paragraph 7). Based on the ideas the author presented, how does he want his audience to show support?

• to help the people in Ghana

• to donate money to his campaign

• to learn about the problems facing America

• to serve and contribute meaningfully to the country

Part A: Why did the author include paragraph 4 in his remarks?

• to reveal the idea of a volunteer corps of Americans who go abroad to the audience

• to create an informal and casual tone in his remarks describing a new volunteer program

• to persuade the students in attendance to go abroad to represent America to the world

• to illustrate to the audience that Americans are willing to help others in the world

Part B: Which sentence from paragraph 4 best supports the answer in Part A?

• "Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing to work in the Foreign Service and spend your lives traveling around the world?"

• "On your willingness to do that, not merely to serve one year or two years in the service, but on your willingness to contribute part of your life to this country, I think will depend on whether a free society can compete."

• "And I think Americans are willing to contribute."

• "But the effort must be far greater than we have ever made in the past."

Read the following sentence from the passage: "It has changed the lives of not only people in communities across the globe, but the lives of its volunteers as well." (paragraph 6). What conclusion can be drawn about the author's point of view of the Peace Corps?

• The author wants to emphasize the importance of this work on the global community.

• The author wants to show the positive impact on volunteers as well as the global community.

• The author wants to persuade the reader to join the Peace Corps.

• The author wants to explain how readers could join the Peace Corps.

The word "conservation" comes from the Latin word conservare, which means "to save, protect, or preserve." What does conservation mean?

• the act of working the land

• the act of serving the land

• the act of protecting the land

• the act of clearing the land

How do the authors of "JFK Remarks" and "Peace Corps" describe the Peace Corps in a similar way?

• Both authors present this voluntary program as a way to serve the country.

• Both authors provide the three goals stated in the mission of the Peace Corps.

• Both authors describe the work and process of becoming a volunteer in great detail.

• Both authors emphasize the challenges Americans face in the world.

How do the authors of "JFK Remarks" and "Peace Corps" emphasize different examples to show how people can help?

• Senator John F. Kennedy provides evidence of the number of people needed, but the author of "Peace Corps" focuses on the number of nations where volunteers could serve.

• Senator John F. Kennedy explains why the Peace Corps is important, and the author of "Peace Corps" explains how the Peace Corps started.

• Senator John F. Kennedy describes the people who should volunteer, whereas the author of "Peace Corps" describes the types of positions available.

• Senator John F. Kennedy asks future doctors and engineers to think about helping abroad, but the author of "Peace Corps" describes many more fields of service, including education.