Powers not granted to the federal government and reserved for the states are known as what?

• A. Separation of powers
• B. Reserved powers
• C. Public policy
• D. Popular sovereignty

Answer: (B)

The question hinges on how power is divided between the national and state governments in a federal system. Reserved powers are the powers kept by the states because the Constitution does not grant them to the federal government. The idea comes from the Tenth Amendment, which says that powers not delegated to the United States nor prohibited to the States are reserved to the States or the people. This covers areas like education, licensing, and policing—matters states typically manage without federal mandates.

This concept is distinct from separation of powers, which refers to dividing government authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches; public policy, which is the actual laws and programs governments enact; and popular sovereignty, the principle that the people hold ultimate political authority.