Which tool in ArcGIS allows for the creation of a new feature class from selected features in a layer?

The tool that allows for the creation of a new feature class from selected features in a layer is "Copy Features." This tool specifically enables users to copy selected features from a layer and create a new feature class. It is particularly useful for isolating specific features based on selection criteria, which can be based on attributes or manual selection within the map interface. The result is a new feature class that contains only the copied features, with all their associated attributes preserved.

While other tools have their own functions, they do not serve the same purpose in this context. "Extract by Attributes," for instance, is primarily used for creating raster data based on attribute query criteria and does not operate on feature classes in this manner. "Feature Class to Feature Class" is more about converting and exporting features based on specified parameters but does not specifically deal with a user-defined selection from an existing layer. "Split" is usually associated with dividing a feature into multiple parts based on certain conditions within its geometry, rather than creating new feature classes from selections.

Therefore, "Copy Features" is the most direct option for generating a new feature class based on selected features, making it the correct choice.