"Marble cake federalism" is associated with the

A) increasing political power of local governments over the last two decades.
B) pattern of intergovernmental cooperation that has blurred the lines between the states and the national governments.
C) practice of federal officials bribing their state counterparts with various gifts in order to convince them to follow national standards.
D) confusion that emerged during the 1960s about which layer of government is actually responsible for regulating the national economy.

Marble cake federalism refers to a type of federalism in which there is cooperation and collaboration between the national government and state governments, blurring the lines between their distinct powers and roles. This type of federalism is characterized by a sharing of responsibilities and powers between the levels of government, rather than a strict separation of powers. Therefore, option B is the best choice as it directly relates to the description of marble cake federalism. The other options do not accurately describe or relate to the concept of marble cake federalism.