Question

this excerpt describes some activities of political machines.
at the turn of the 20th century, many u.s. cities were run by collections of self - serving political machines. these organizations controlled access to political power by rigging votes, buying people’s loyalty—and their ballots.
—bureau of international information programs, u.s. department of state, share.america.gov (accessed october 17, 2018)
what was one additional way that urban political machines \controlled access to political power\?
a by requiring candidates to pass civil service exams
b by introducing referendum and recall elections
c by securing jobs and contracts for supporters
d by lobbying to introduce literacy tests

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Civil service exams were part of civil service reform to reduce political machine influence, so this is incorrect.
• Option B: Referendum and recall elections are progressive reforms, not methods of political machines, so incorrect.
• Option C: Political machines often used patronage, giving jobs and contracts to supporters to gain loyalty and control, which matches how they operated.
• Option D: Literacy tests were used to disenfranchise voters (e.g., African Americans), not a method of political machines to control power for themselves.

Answer:

C. By securing jobs and contracts for supporters