After the mine went out of business, the town struggled to keep up the illusion that it was flourishing, but visitors could see that the neighborhoods and houses were shabby and slowly falling into disrepair.

based on the context,
what is the best definition of the word illusion?

a. forces that cannot be explained by science or nature
b. conception of something perfect
c. something that appears to be real but is not
d. extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque

Based on the context, the best definition of the word "illusion" is C. Something that appears to be real but is not.

Explanation: The word "illusion" is a noun and it is used to refer to a false belief, that is to say to the act of thinking that something is real when it actually is not. In that way, "illusion" makes reference to a misleading impression. In the passage provided, "illusion" has been used to indicate the false belief that the people living in a town had about their own town, that is to say the belief that it was flourishing when it was actually "falling into disrepair". Therefore, the option that provides the best definition of the word "illusion" is C. "Something that appears to be real but is not".

i think the anti-race spokesman is working to achieve equality between whites and blacks and to encourage blacks to shakespeare's theory