Which principle divides government into three branches with separate powers?

• A. Checks and balances
• B. Federalism
• C. Popular sovereignty
• D. Separation of powers

Answer: (D)

Separating government into three branches with independent powers keeps authority from concentrating in one part of government. Each branch has its own job: the legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch enforces them, and the judicial branch interprets or applies them in courts. This arrangement, rooted in Enlightenment ideas and written into the Constitution, allows each branch to check the others, preventing any one part from gaining too much control.

That’s why this description is the best match for the principle in the question. It specifically describes the division of power among three branches with distinct roles. Other terms describe related ideas but not the division itself: checks and balances refers to how the branches limit each other, federalism to power distribution between national and state governments, and popular sovereignty to the idea that the people hold the authority.