GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) | The Civil Service Act of 1883, also known as the Pendleton Act, which

The Civil Service Act of 1883, also known as the Pendleton Act, which created a professional corps of administrators, was passed after a disappointed office-seeker assassinated President James A. Garfield. For a hundred years, this system has anchored American government service to competence rather than corruption. The best way to preserve this state in thenew millennium is tomaintain the Pendleton Act as it is .

Which of the following would be most useful to evaluate the argument’s conclusion?