Final answer:
The patronage system, known as the spoils system, is falsely thought to provide qualified individuals for government positions; in reality, it rewarded party loyalty over merit. The correct answer to the question is 'c. party loyalty'.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the patronage system, also called the "spoils system", was applauded for providing qualified individuals that could get things done is false. The spoils system actually allocated political appointments based on party loyalty rather than qualifications, leading to disadvantages such as government positions being filled by those who pledged political loyalty to their patrons, rather than by the most capable and deserving candidates. While it made the government responsive to the electorate and kept voter turnout high due to the stakes involved, the system also perpetuated a cycle of power focused on rewarding loyalty over merit.
The correct answer to the multiple-choice question regarding what the "spoils system" allocated political appointments on the basis of is c. party loyalty. This system replaced a more merit-based approach to federal bureaucracy which aimed to appoint the country's intellectual and economic elite based on their relative merit.