What term describes a government in which a single central authority holds all political power for the entire state?

• A. Unitary Government
• B. Federal System
• C. Confederation
• D. Monarchy

Answer: (A)

This item tests how political power is distributed within a state, focusing on centralization at the national level. In a unitary government, the central government holds the main authority over the entire country, and subnational units derive their powers from the national government. This setup tends to produce policies that are uniform across the state because there is a single sovereign source of law. By contrast, a federal system divides authority constitutionally between national and subnational governments, allowing states or provinces to retain significant powers. A confederation is looser still, with the central authority depending on member states and often lacking strong control. A monarchy describes who sits at the top of the leadership but does not by itself dictate how power is distributed across levels of government. So the term that best matches the description is unitary government.