Which of the following is an expressed (enumerated) power of the United States Congress under the U.S. Constitution?

Introduction / Context:
In the United States Constitution, certain powers are specifically listed for Congress in Article I, Section 8. These are called expressed or enumerated powers. They outline what Congress may lawfully do on behalf of the federal government. This question tests whether you can identify which of the listed powers are expressly granted to Congress, focusing on areas like piracy, commerce, currency and war.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on the U.S. Congress and its expressed powers.
• Options mention punishing pirates, regulating commerce and currency, declaring war and an option stating that all of these are expressed powers.
• We assume basic awareness of the content of Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.
• The correct answer should reflect the actual list of enumerated powers.

Concept / Approach:
Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution lists several powers of Congress. Among these are the power “to define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas,” the power “to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes,” and the power “to coin Money [and] regulate the Value thereof.” It also explicitly gives Congress the power “to declare War.” Therefore, each of the specific powers mentioned in the first three options is in fact an expressed power of Congress. The logical conclusion is that the option stating “All of the above” is correct.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that punishing piracy on the high seas is mentioned in Article I, Section 8 as a power of Congress. Step 2: Remember that regulating commerce and coining money are classic examples of enumerated powers of Congress. Step 3: Note that the power to declare war is also explicitly granted to Congress, not to the President alone. Step 4: Since each of the first three powers is an expressed power, the option stating that all of them are expressed powers must be correct. Step 5: Choose “All of the above are expressed powers of Congress.”

Verification / Alternative check:
You can check this by looking up a summary of Article I, Section 8 in any standard U.S. government or civics textbook, which typically lists these powers under headings like “Power to regulate commerce,” “Power to coin money,” “Power to declare war” and “Power to punish piracy.” This consistent listing across multiple educational resources confirms that all three individual powers are indeed enumerated, and therefore the combined “All of the above” option is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong (when chosen alone):
The power to punish piracy on the high seas: This is correct but incomplete if chosen alone, because the question allows for multiple expressed powers.
The power to regulate commerce and currency: Again, this is an expressed power, but the presence of other correct powers makes “All of the above” a better choice.

The power to declare war on other nations: Also a valid expressed power, but not the only one among the options.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes pick a single correct power without noticing that several options are correct, making “All of the above” the best answer. Another misunderstanding is to assume that the President independently holds some of these powers, like declaring war, when in fact the Constitution clearly assigns that power to Congress. Carefully reviewing each option and recalling the text of Article I, Section 8 helps avoid these errors.

Final Answer:
All the listed powers are enumerated in Article I, Section 8, so All of the above are expressed powers of Congress is the correct answer.