The answer that best illustrates the difference between the U.S. dollar (a form of fiat money) and a U.S. gold certificate (a representative currency) is:
A U.S. dollar does not represent a claim to some specific asset.
This statement highlights that fiat money, like the U.S. dollar, has value because the government maintains it and people have faith in its value, rather than it being backed by a physical asset like gold. In contrast, a gold certificate represents a claim on a specific amount of gold, meaning it is backed by a tangible asset.