For a contract to be enforceable, it must be proven that it was not affected by which of the following?

• A. Fraud, duress, abandonment or mistake
• B. Fraud, duress, concealment or threats
• C. Fraud, duress, concealment or mistake
• D. Fraud, coercion, abandonment or mistake

Answer: (C)

The enforceability of a contract hinges on the presence of certain essential conditions that ensure all parties entered into the agreement freely and with mutual understanding. Among these conditions are the integrity of consent and the absence of undue influence or deception.

The correct choice involves terms that directly relate to the integrity of the contracting process. Fraud refers to intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, while duress involves coercing someone into agreement under threats or pressure, which undermines free will. Mistake pertains to a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of key facts or terms that may affect one or both parties' decisions to enter into the contract. All these factors can potentially vitiate the validity of a contract.

In terms of context, concealment and threats (mentioned in other choices) also relate to deceit and coercion but may not encompass the full breadth of issues that could affect a contract's enforceability. For example, concealment usually refers to the failure to disclose important information, which is a specific form of fraud, but does not cover the broader spectrum of how a misunderstanding can arise or how pressure can be applied in less direct ways. Meanwhile, abandonment refers more to the termination of a contract rather than factors affecting its formation.

Thus, the inclusion of fraud, du