Ann was offered a job that would pay $20,000, that would provide for 18 days vacation after one year of employment, and that would begin one week after her graduation. She wrote back that she would accept the job, but that she would not begin until three weeks after graduation and needed at least a 21-day vacation after the first year of work. On these facts, which of the following is true?
A) Since she accepted the offer, there is a contract.
B) If she had not responded, there would have been a contract because silence is the standard form of acceptance.
C) There is no contract because an acceptance must be unconditional, and her counteroffer has not been accepted.
D) There is a contract as soon as she drops her letter in the mailbox.
E) She is still free to reconsider and take the original offer even after the prospective employer received her letter.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ann's response was not an acceptance, but a counteroffer. A counteroffer amounts to a rejection of the original offer and creates a new offer. Therefore, there is no contract until the prospective employer accepts Ann's counteroffer.

Ann Was Offered a Job That Would Pay $20,000, That