An official statement of a complaint over something believed to be wrong or unfair.

• A. Natural rights
• B. Thesis
• C. Grievance
• D. Primary source

Answer: (C)

Grievance is the formal expression of a complaint about something believed to be wrong or unfair. It captures both the act of voicing dissatisfaction and the sense that an injustice has occurred, which is exactly what the prompt describes. In American history, grievances are often used to justify action or to persuade others by outlining specific wrongs, such as those listed in the Declaration of Independence to explain the colonies’ decision to seek independence.

Natural rights refers to fundamental freedoms everyone possesses, not a complaint itself. A thesis is a stated argument or claim, not the act of formally lodging a complaint. A primary source is an original artifact or document from a period, which may contain grievances but is not itself the act of complaining.