What is the correct description of how federal and unitary states differ? Provide an example.

• A. Federal states centralize sovereignty; Unitary states share sovereignty with subnational governments.
• B. Federal states have no subnational governments; Unitary states have strong subnational autonomy.
• C. Federal states share sovereignty with subnational governments (United States); Unitary states centralize sovereignty at the national level (France).
• D. Federal states are smaller than unitary states.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is how sovereignty is distributed between levels of government. In a federal system, sovereignty is constitutionally shared between the national government and subnational units (like states or provinces), with each level having defined powers that cannot be unilaterally erased by the center. In a unitary system, sovereignty resides primarily in the national government, and subnational authorities exist mainly to administer central decisions; their powers can be altered or withdrawn by the central government.

This matches the description that a federal state shares sovereignty with subnational governments—an example being the United States, where states have their own powers and the Constitution protects those powers. A unitary state centralizes sovereignty at the national level—France is a classic case, where the central government holds the key authority and local administrations implement centrally issued policies.

The emphasis is on where ultimate authority lies and how powers are allocated, not on the size of the country.