Notes

In assuming the presidency in 1961, John F. Kennedy famously told Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” And in his first months in office, he went about trying to create opportunities for Americans to do something for their country. To that end, he passed Executive Order 10924. This formally created a program he had dreamed up a decade before, while serving in Congress: the Peace Corps. In Kennedy’s vision, Americans fresh out of college would volunteer to help people in less developed nations. The agency’s volunteers would provide technical assistance, help citizens of the globe understand American culture, and help Americans understand the cultures of other countries.

The main purpose of the quotation from John F. Kennedy in paragraph 1 is to provide
A. the historical context of the Cold War
B. a lens through which to view the Peace Corps
C. a definition for a term used throughout the passage
D. the reason that Kennedy cared so much about the Peace Corps