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Difficulty: HardFederal System of Government

In a classic federal system of government, residual powers are constitutionally reserved exclusively for the central government, while concurrent powers are assigned solely to the component units.

Answer: Answer

Answer

The statement is false. In a constitutional federal system, residual powers belong to the component units (states/regions) to preserve local autonomy, whereas concurrent powers are exercised jointly by both the central government and the component units.
The statement is false because federal constitutions reserve residual powers for the component units to safeguard state autonomy, while concurrent powers are shared by both central and state tiers of government rather than belonging exclusively to state units.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the constitutional definition and allocation of residual powers in federalism.
Residual powers consist of subjects not explicitly named in either the Exclusive or Concurrent Legislative Lists. In federal constitutions, these are assigned to component units.
Reserving unallocated powers to regional units prevents central overreach and guarantees local self-governance.
2
Examine the constitutional definition and allocation of concurrent powers.
Concurrent powers represent legislative areas (such as higher education, roads, and agriculture) where both central and regional legislatures can make laws simultaneously.
Federal systems permit dual jurisdiction on matters of joint national and state concern, subject to federal paramountcy.
3
Evaluate the validity of the premise presented in the stem.
The statement completely reverses the true constitutional framework by misassigning residual powers to the center and mischaracterizing concurrent powers as exclusive to states.
Because both parts of the premise contradict core federal principles, the statement is false.

Key Concept

Division of Legislative Powers in a Federal System
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Topics

Federal System of Government

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