Never make an _________ you can't keep.

Never make an _________ you can't keep.

• A. Ultimatum
• B. Promise
• C. Threat
• D. Demand

Answer: (A)

Credibility in negotiations hinges on following through with what you set as conditions. An ultimatum conveys a final, non-negotiable demand that includes a clear consequence if it’s not met. The sentence uses this term to emphasize that you should only issue such a decisive term if you are prepared to enforce the consequence; otherwise, backing off undermines your authority and trust with others. While promises also involve keeping commitments, the phrase is about a stronger, final binding condition that ends the negotiation unless the demand is satisfied. A threat and a demand don’t carry the same sense of a final, enforceable deadline, so they don’t fit as naturally in this particular construction.

Credibility in negotiations hinges on following through with what you set as conditions. An ultimatum conveys a final, non-negotiable demand that includes a clear consequence if it’s not met. The sentence uses this term to emphasize that you should only issue such a decisive term if you are prepared to enforce the consequence; otherwise, backing off undermines your authority and trust with others.

While promises also involve keeping commitments, the phrase is about a stronger, final binding condition that ends the negotiation unless the demand is satisfied. A threat and a demand don’t carry the same sense of a final, enforceable deadline, so they don’t fit as naturally in this particular construction.