2008 test · Question 42 of 100
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
Answers from the USCIS list
Give one of these answers. Words in light (parentheses) are optional.
- provide schooling and education
- provide protection optional: (police)
- provide safety optional: (fire departments)
- give a driver’s license
- approve zoning and land use
Our explanation
Under the Constitution, powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or the people. States provide schools, police, fire departments, and driver’s licenses. They also approve zoning, or rules for land use.
Remember it
State = everyday life: school, police, fire, driver’s license, zoning.
Source
USCIS 2025 Study Guide (M-1175) p. 14: “Under the Constitution, powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved for the states respectively, or to the people.” Driver’s license and zoning: USCIS 2008 Civics Q&A (rev. 08/21) p. 4.
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