Silence may count as acceptance in which scenario?

Silence may count as acceptance in which scenario?

• A. Where silence constitutes acceptance for a standard offer
• B. Where silence is consistent with previous dealings between the parties
• C. Silence cannot be acceptance in any case
• D. Silence is acceptance if the offeror requests it

Answer: (B)

Silence as acceptance is not the norm in contract law—acceptance usually requires a clear affirmative act. The key idea tested here is that silence can count as acceptance only when there is a history of previous dealings between the same parties that makes silence reasonable as a signal of assent. If the parties have established a pattern where continuing to perform or not objecting after an offer signals agreement to the terms, then the offeree’s silence aligns with that pattern and can be treated as acceptance. That’s why this scenario is the best fit: it relies on an established course of dealing that makes silence a meaningful response. The other options rely on blanket rules that silence can never be acceptance, or on unusual circumstances like the offeror specifically asking for silence, which isn’t the general basis for acceptance, or on treating silence as acceptance for standard offers without any prior practice. The standout principle is the prior dealings that render silence acceptable as acceptance.

Silence as acceptance is not the norm in contract law—acceptance usually requires a clear affirmative act. The key idea tested here is that silence can count as acceptance only when there is a history of previous dealings between the same parties that makes silence reasonable as a signal of assent. If the parties have established a pattern where continuing to perform or not objecting after an offer signals agreement to the terms, then the offeree’s silence aligns with that pattern and can be treated as acceptance.

That’s why this scenario is the best fit: it relies on an established course of dealing that makes silence a meaningful response. The other options rely on blanket rules that silence can never be acceptance, or on unusual circumstances like the offeror specifically asking for silence, which isn’t the general basis for acceptance, or on treating silence as acceptance for standard offers without any prior practice. The standout principle is the prior dealings that render silence acceptable as acceptance.