Which description best defines a confederation?
a. a government in which there is a single, all-powerful ruler
b. a system in which a national government and state governments share power equally
c. a government in which all citizens vote on all major issues and the majority rules
d. a system in which states agree to form a national government, but maintain their sovereignty

The correct answer is D) a system in which states agree to form a national government, but maintain its sovereignty.

A Confederation is a system in which states agree to form a national government but maintain its sovereignty.

In political terms, a Confederation is considered a union of states but maintaining its own soverignty. The United States formed a Federation in 1789, to unify even more the states, something that other states did not like and mostly the Southern states maintained the concept of Confederation. The Federation was based on the idea of a common government for all the states, meanwhile, in a Confederation, the common element was the autonomy in each of the states.    

"germany's geographic location was an advantage when it was on the offensive in the war because it was situated next to an extremely wide river, the rhine, which was difficult for the allies to cross."