St. Petersburg College Civic Literacy Practice Test

Federalism tests how authority is shared across different levels of government. In a federal system, a central government handles nationwide matters while state governments manage regional concerns, creating a balance between national unity and local autonomy. This division of power—between a central government and state governments—best embodies that setup. A single national government would be a unitary system, local governments-only would lack a national framework, and no government at all isn’t a functional political structure.