Civics question 59 of 128
Name one power that is only for the states.
5 accepted answers
- Provide schooling and education
- Provide protection (police)
- Provide safety (fire departments)
- Give a driver's license
- Approve zoning and land use
You only need to give one of these. The officer accepts any of them.
Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.
Background
Any one of these answers: provide schooling and education, provide police protection, provide fire safety, give a driver's license, or approve zoning and land use. These are the powers people meet most often in daily life, and they explain why so much differs from state to state, from graduation requirements to the age for a learner's permit. The legal basis is the Tenth Amendment, which leaves to the states and to the people whatever the Constitution does not hand the federal government. Much of the authority is delegated further, to counties, cities, and school districts, which is why zoning is decided at a town meeting rather than in a state capitol. Congress still influences these areas indirectly by attaching conditions to federal funding, as it has done with highway money.
This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.
Where this question sits
It is part of System of Government, inside the American Government section of the test.