Under the Statute of Frauds, which agreement must be in writing

• A. A lease for 9 months
• B. A contract to guarantee another’s debt
• C. An indefinite-term employment contract
• D. A personal service contract to be performed next month

Answer: (B)

Under the Statute of Frauds, certain promises must be in writing to be enforceable. A contract to guarantee someone else’s debt falls into the suretyship category and must be evidenced by writing. This requirement exists because it involves a secondary obligation—the promise to answer for another’s debt—and having a written record helps prevent fraud and misunderstandings about the guarantor’s commitment.

The other scenarios don't trigger the writing rule for the one-year provision. A lease for nine months is enforceable even if spoken because it can be fully performed within one year. An indefinite-term employment contract can also be performed within a year (there’s no fixed end date), so it doesn’t necessarily require a writing under this Statute. A personal service contract to be performed next month similarly can be completed inside a year, so it likewise doesn’t fall under the writing requirement.

So the agreement that must be in writing is the contract to guarantee another’s debt.