Which of the following statements about white privilege is FALSE?

• A. It is visible to most whites.
• B. It involves unearned power.
• C. It cannot be given away.
• D. It is often is met with defensiveness and denial.

Answer: (A)

White privilege refers to unearned advantages that come with being seen as white within a society organized by racial categories. Those advantages are built into institutions, norms, and everyday interactions, and they often go unnoticed by the people who benefit from them. Because privilege can feel like a normal default, it isn’t typically visible to most whites; recognizing it requires looking beyond one’s personal experiences and seeing how systems confer advantages. That’s why the statement claiming it is visible to most whites is false. The other statements fit with how privilege operates: it involves unearned power, since it comes from social structures rather than individual merit; it isn’t something one can simply hand over or transfer to others, because it’s tied to one’s position in society; and discussions about it are frequently met with defensiveness and denial as people confront uncomfortable implications for identity and status.