The Bargaining Range is defined as the range between which two points?

• A. One party's aspiration point and reservation point.
• B. The BATNA and ZOPA.
• C. The best outcome and the worst outcome.
• D. The initial offer and final offer.

Answer: (A)

In negotiation, each party has a target they’d like to achieve and a bottom line they won’t cross. The bargaining range is the span between those two points for a party—the set of outcomes that would be acceptable, from the reservation point (the lowest acceptable result) up to the aspiration point (the ideal result).

That’s why the correct choice is the range between a party’s aspiration point and reservation point. The other terms describe different ideas: BATNA and ZOPA relate to alternatives and the overlap between both sides’ acceptable ranges, not to the individual’s own threshold. The best and worst outcomes are extremes, not the practical zone a single negotiator is willing to accept. Initial and final offers describe specific proposals, not the acceptable range.