Under common law, if an offeree's acceptance changes a term of the offer, what is the result according to the mirror image rule?

Under common law, if an offeree's acceptance changes a term of the offer, what is the result according to the mirror image rule?

• A. It is a rejection
• B. It is an acceptance with modification
• C. It creates a new contract on different terms
• D. It is ignored

Answer: (A)

Under the mirror image rule, an acceptance must conform exactly to the terms offered. If the offeree changes any term—price, quantity, date, etc.—the response isn’t an acceptance at all; it’s a rejection of the original offer and a counteroffer. That means no contract forms on the original terms, because the original offer is terminated by the counteroffer unless the offeror later accepts it. So the result is a rejection (and the offeree’s reply acts as a counteroffer), not an acceptance with modification, not a new contract on different terms, and not something to be ignored.

Under the mirror image rule, an acceptance must conform exactly to the terms offered. If the offeree changes any term—price, quantity, date, etc.—the response isn’t an acceptance at all; it’s a rejection of the original offer and a counteroffer. That means no contract forms on the original terms, because the original offer is terminated by the counteroffer unless the offeror later accepts it. So the result is a rejection (and the offeree’s reply acts as a counteroffer), not an acceptance with modification, not a new contract on different terms, and not something to be ignored.