What is federalism?
Responses
A a form of government with elected representativesa form of government with elected representatives
B a division of power between the national and state governmentsa division of power between the national and state governments
C a sharing of power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial systemsa sharing of power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial systems
D a form of government in which elected officials make all economic decisions
B a division of power between the national and state governments
The correct answer is B - a division of power between the national and state governments. Federalism is a system of government where power is divided and shared between a central government (usually at the national level) and regional or state governments. This division of power allows for greater autonomy and decision-making authority at the local level, while still maintaining a unified national government.
The correct answer is B: a division of power between the national and state governments.
To arrive at this answer, we can break down the options and eliminate the ones that do not accurately describe federalism.
Option A suggests that federalism is "a form of government with elected representatives." While elected representatives are indeed a part of federalism, this definition is too broad and applies to many other forms of government as well, such as republicanism or parliamentary democracy. Therefore, we can eliminate this option.
Option C suggests that federalism is "a sharing of power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial systems." While federalism does involve the separation of powers between these branches of government, it also extends beyond just these systems. Federalism specifically refers to the division of power between the national and state governments. Hence, we can eliminate this option as well.
Option D suggests that federalism is "a form of government in which elected officials make all economic decisions." This definition does not accurately describe federalism, as it is more related to a specific economic system or decision-making process, rather than the division of power between national and state governments. Thus, we can eliminate this option.
Lastly, option B describes federalism as "a division of power between the national and state governments." This definition accurately captures the essence of federalism by emphasizing the specific distribution of power between these two levels of government. Therefore, option B is the correct answer.
In summary, to determine that federalism refers to a division of power between the national and state governments, we had to carefully evaluate and eliminate the other options that did not accurately describe this concept.