Civics question 60 of 128
What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment?
Official answer
- (It states that the) powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.
Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.
Background
The Tenth Amendment states that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people. It closes the Bill of Rights and adds no new right of its own; what it states is the structural principle behind the whole document, that the federal government holds only the powers granted to it. Supporters of the Constitution argued this was already implied, and the amendment was included to answer critics who feared the new government would swallow the states. Its practical force has shifted over time, since broad readings of the commerce power and the spending power let Congress reach subjects the states once handled alone. The amendment still bars Congress from ordering state governments to administer federal programs, a rule the courts call anti-commandeering.
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.
Related questions
- 30. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
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- 33. Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?
- 34. Who elects members of the House of Representatives?
- 35. Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?