Q 01/05

Which US president established the Peace Corps by executive order in March 1961?

A) Lyndon B. Johnson

B) John F. Kennedy

C) Dwight D. Eisenhower

D) Harry S. Truman

Answer · why

B) John F. Kennedy

Congress authorised it the following September with the Peace Corps Act.

Q 02/05

Who was the Peace Corps' first director?

A) Robert McNamara

B) Chester Bowles

C) Bill Moyers

D) Sargent Shriver

Answer · why

D) Sargent Shriver

He was Kennedy's brother-in-law, married to Eunice Kennedy, and lobbied Congress energetically for approval.

Q 03/05

How long are Peace Corps volunteers expected to serve in their host country after training?

A) One year

B) Four years

C) Six months

D) Two years

Answer · why

D) Two years

They complete technical training first, and may request an extension afterwards.

Q 04/05

How many months of training precede a volunteer's swearing-in?

A) Six

B) Three

C) Twelve

D) One

Answer · why

B) Three

Training happens in-country with host-country national trainers in language and job skills.

Q 05/05

On the steps of which building did Kennedy first float the idea in a late-night campaign speech on 14 October 1960?

A) The Massachusetts State House

B) Harvard's Widener Library

C) The Michigan Union in Ann Arbor

D) The Lincoln Memorial

Answer · why

C) The Michigan Union in Ann Arbor

A brass marker commemorates the spot where he stood.