How Did the Pendleton Act Reform the System of Hiring

How did the Pendleton Act reform the system of hiring federal employees?

A) It required hiring decisions to be based on partisan loyalty rather than merit.
B) It required hiring decisions to be based on merit rather than partisan loyalty.
C) It continued to allow hiring on the basis of partisan loyalty,but made firing federal employees easier.
D) It continued to allow hiring on the basis of partisan loyalty,but made firing federal employees more difficult.