Under the 10th Amendment, powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by the States, are reserved to whom?

Under the 10th Amendment, powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by the States, are reserved to whom?

• A. Delegated powers to the United States
• B. Prohibited by the States
• C. Reserved to the States or to the People
• D. Shared with Local Governments

Answer: (C)

The main idea being tested is federalism: powers not given to the federal government in the Constitution, and not forbidden to the states, stay with the states or the people. The Tenth Amendment makes explicit that any such powers are reserved—meaning kept for state governments or for the people themselves, rather than being handed to the national government. That’s why the option stating that powers are reserved to the States or to the People is the best answer. It captures the fundamental balance of power between the national government and the states. The other ideas miss this balance: delegated powers are those given to the United States, not reserved; powers prohibited to the States aren’t the focus of the Tenth Amendment; and local governments operate as creatures of the states, not as independently reserved powers under the Tenth Amendment.

The main idea being tested is federalism: powers not given to the federal government in the Constitution, and not forbidden to the states, stay with the states or the people. The Tenth Amendment makes explicit that any such powers are reserved—meaning kept for state governments or for the people themselves, rather than being handed to the national government.

That’s why the option stating that powers are reserved to the States or to the People is the best answer. It captures the fundamental balance of power between the national government and the states. The other ideas miss this balance: delegated powers are those given to the United States, not reserved; powers prohibited to the States aren’t the focus of the Tenth Amendment; and local governments operate as creatures of the states, not as independently reserved powers under the Tenth Amendment.