Answer:
C. The compromise maintained the balance between the number of free states and slave states in the Senate.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Missouri Compromise was a legislative agreement passed by the US Congress in 1820. It allowed Missouri to be admitted as a slave state and Maine as a free state, thus maintaining the balance between the number of free states and slave states in the US Senate. Additionally, it established a line of latitude (36°30') across the Louisiana Territory, with slavery allowed south of the line and banned north of the line. While the Missouri Compromise helped to temporarily alleviate tensions over the issue of slavery in the US, it ultimately failed to prevent the outbreak of the Civil War.