The practice of appointing loyal party members to federal positions is known as what?

• A. Merit hiring
• B. Spoils system
• C. Patronage
• D. Civil service

Answer: (C)

Patronage is the practice of giving government jobs to political supporters as a reward for loyalty. This directly describes appointing loyal party members to federal positions to maintain party influence and reward supporters. Merit hiring would select based on qualifications rather than loyalty, so it doesn’t fit. Civil service refers to a nonpartisan, merit-based workforce rather than a system of rewarding loyalty. The spoils system is a related concept describing post-election rewards, but patronage emphasizes the reward aspect of those appointments.