Which of the following has no authority unless adopted by a government as regulations?

The correct answer is that a standard has no authority unless adopted by a government as regulations. Standards are developed by various organizations, such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). They serve as an agreed-upon set of criteria or requirements that can help ensure quality, safety, and efficiency. However, for a standard to carry legal weight and be enforceable, it must be formally adopted and incorporated into federal, state, or local regulations.

Guidelines, policies, and practices, while important, do not require government adoption to be utilized. Guidelines generally serve as recommendations for best practices but do not have the force of law. Policies are organizational directives guiding actions or decisions but can vary widely in scope and authority. Practices are established methods of performing tasks and can be implemented by individual organizations without needing governmental endorsement. Thus, the uniqueness of standards lies in their potential to become regulatory once adopted by governmental authorities.