Read the sentence from the passage.

"He paused and thought for a moment, recognizing that being bored with his routine might be the source of his malady."

What does malady mean as it is used in the sentence?

A.
a new position
B.
a mistake
C.
a problem
D.
a misunderstanding

C. a problem

C. a problem

To determine the meaning of "malady" as it is used in the sentence, we can analyze the context clues. In the sentence, it mentions that the person is bored with their routine. Therefore, we can infer that the word "malady" most likely refers to a problem or some kind of ailment that the person is experiencing. From the given options, the correct choice would be C. a problem.