Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography Practice Exam

What type of government structure allows local political units to exercise significant power?

1. Unitary state

2. Federal state

3. Confederation

4. Monarchy

The correct answer is: Federal state

The correct answer is federal state because this type of government structure grants significant power and autonomy to local political units, such as states or provinces. In a federal system, the authority is divided between a central government and various regional governments, allowing local entities to make decisions regarding education, law enforcement, infrastructure, and other issues important to their communities. This decentralized power structure is designed to accommodate diverse interests and provide representation for different regions within a larger political framework. In contrast, a unitary state consolidates power at the national level, with local governments serving primarily as administrative extensions of the central authority. While they may have some limited responsibilities, they do not typically have significant powers that can be exercised independently. A confederation represents a union of sovereign states that come together for specific purposes while retaining their independence, but its local units do not necessarily have extensive governing powers similar to a federal system. A monarchy, whether absolute or constitutional, primarily revolves around the rule of a single entity or monarch, and does not inherently pertain to the distribution of power across local political units.