According to new federal data, which United States state economy has overtaken that of the United Kingdom to become the worlds fifth largest economy?

Introduction / Context:
This question is based on international economic current affairs and highlights the surprising scale of one state economy within the United States. It asks which state economy became large enough to surpass even the national economy of the United Kingdom, making that state the fifth largest economy in the world if treated as a separate country. Such comparisons are often mentioned in news articles and are used in exams to test awareness of global economic rankings and relative size of economies.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• New federal data measured the economic output of different United States states.
• The comparison is between the economy of a US state and the national economy of the United Kingdom.
• The question asks which state economy surpassed the UK and thus became the worlds fifth largest economy.
• The options include Massachusetts, Florida, Hawaii, and California.

Concept / Approach:
The key concept is knowledge of state level gross domestic product within the United States and how it compares with major national economies. California has a very large and diversified economy spanning technology, entertainment, agriculture, and manufacturing. It is widely known to have an output comparable to large countries. By contrast, states like Hawaii or Massachusetts have much smaller total output. Therefore, even without memorising the exact ranking, one can reason that California is the only realistic candidate among the options for surpassing the UK economy.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that news reports highlighted that California economic output is comparable to that of major global economies like the United Kingdom and France.Step 2: Understand that the United Kingdom is a top tier economy, so only a very large and wealthy state can surpass it.Step 3: Compare the options. Hawaii is a small island state with tourism as a key sector and cannot match the UK economy. Massachusetts and Florida are important states but still smaller than the largest players.Step 4: California hosts Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and extensive agricultural and industrial activity, giving it a very high gross state product.Step 5: Therefore, select California as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify using simple magnitude reasoning. California alone would rank among the largest economies in the world if it were an independent country, often quoted as around fifth in the world at certain points in time. No other state in the options has been described in this way. Most economic news and reference charts place California far above other US states in terms of total output, confirming that it is the state whose economy surpassed that of the United Kingdom.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Massachusetts: It has a strong economy focused on education, technology, and healthcare, but its total output is much smaller than that of the UK.
• Florida: Although it is a large and populous state with tourism and services, its gross state product is still behind California and does not surpass the UK economy.
• Hawaii: A small state with a tourism led economy, far from the scale of a major European national economy.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may not pay attention to the word fifth and may think of states that are more familiar to them personally. Others may confuse per capita income with total economic size. Remember that the question is about overall size of the economy, not living standards per person. Keeping track of headline making economic comparisons like this in daily current affairs helps avoid such mistakes.

Final Answer:
The United States state whose economy surpassed that of the United Kingdom to become the worlds fifth largest is California.