Question

this excerpt is from a civil - service law passed by the u.s. congress in the 1880s.
examinations shall be practical in their character, and... shall relate to those matters which will fairly test the relative capacity and fitness of the persons examined to discharge the duties of the service into which they seek to be appointed.
—pendleton civil service act of 1883
based on the excerpt and your knowledge of u.s. history, why did lawmakers believe that this type of reform was needed?
a to address reluctance among citizens to join the military
b to address the fact that many diplomats refused to perform their assigned tasks
c to address concerns about the job skills of recent university graduates
d to address the practice of elected officials awarding jobs to their political allies

Explanation:

The Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 was enacted to reform the civil service system. Before this act, the "spoils system" was prevalent, where elected officials gave government jobs to their political allies (patronage), regardless of their qualifications. The act introduced merit - based examinations to ensure that people appointed to civil service positions were qualified. Option A is incorrect as the act is not related to military enlistment. Option B is wrong because the act does not deal with diplomats' task performance. Option C is incorrect as the act was not aimed at university graduates' job skills but at ending the spoils system. Option D correctly identifies the problem the act was meant to solve.

Answer:

D. To address the practice of elected officials awarding jobs to their political allies