Of the following statements about party machines, which is true?

• A. Party machines are characterized by a high degree of leadership control over member activity.
• B. Party machines do not use tangible incentives to recruit members.
• C. Party machines help to solve the problem of voting fraud.
• D. Party machines enforce electoral reform and encourage competition.

Answer: (A)

Party machines rely on a strong, centralized leadership that tightly controls what members do, coordinates campaigns, and distributes rewards to supporters. This top-down authority keeps loyalists in line, directs turnout, and sustains influence through patronage—jobs, contracts, and favors. That makes leadership control over member activity the defining feature, so the statement is true.

The other ideas don’t fit: tangible incentives are a hallmark of machines, not something they avoid; machines were often involved in vote buying and manipulation rather than solving voting fraud; and they typically resisted reforms that would reduce their power and encourage broader competition rather than promoting it.