Final answer:
In a water molecule, the hydrogen atoms have partial positive charges, not negative, due to oxygen's higher electronegativity which attracts the shared electrons more strongly than the hydrogen atoms do.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that in a molecule of water, the hydrogen atoms have partial negative charges because they have a lower electronegativity compared to the oxygen atoms is false. In reality, water is a polar molecule where the oxygen atom is more electronegative than the hydrogen atoms. As a result, the shared electrons spend more time near the oxygen atom, giving it a partial negative charge. Conversely, the hydrogen atoms end up with a partial positive charge. This distribution of charge occurs because electrons are more attracted to the oxygen atom's nucleus than to the hydrogen atoms', due to oxygen's greater electronegativity.