Which term describes a promise not supported by valuable consideration and therefore not binding?

• A. Valuable consideration
• B. Gratuitous promise
• C. Promissory estoppel
• D. In pari delicto agreement

Answer: (B)

A gratuitous promise.

In contract law, a binding promise usually requires consideration—the bargained-for exchange of value. When a promise is made without any valuable consideration, it’s a gratuitous promise and generally unenforceable as a contract. The main exception some courses cover is promissory estoppel, which can make a non‑consideration promise enforceable in limited situations where someone relied on the promise to their detriment, but that’s a narrow remedy and doesn’t change the basic idea that a gratuitous promise is not binding in the usual sense. The other terms don’t fit: valuable consideration is what makes a promise binding; promissory estoppel is a separate doctrine that can enforce some non‑binding promises under specific circumstances; and in pari delicto refers to mutual fault in illegal or immoral contracts, not to the lack of consideration.