A characteristic of public goods is that:

A) people pay for them in proportion to the benefits received.
B) the costs of producing them are less than if they were private goods.
C) their benefits cannot be withheld from anyone,regardless of whether a person pays for them.
D) they are produced only by the private sector,not by the public sector.

Public Goods

Goods that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous, meaning they are available for everyone to use without preventing others from using them as well.

Withheld

The act of holding back or keeping something from happening or being known.

Pays

A term that likely refers to the act of giving money in exchange for goods, services, or to fulfill obligations, but without additional context, it's too generic to define specifically.