Select the correct English antonym for the verb feign meaning to pretend or fake.

Introduction / Context:
This vocabulary question asks for an antonym of the verb feign. Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. Feign is a commonly used verb in literary and formal English and appears in contexts where someone pretends, fakes, or simulates a feeling or action. Understanding its opposite helps in accurately interpreting passages and choosing precise words while writing essays or reports.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The target word is feign, which means to pretend, simulate, or fake something.

The options given are bluff, affect, act, and fact.
Only one option represents the opposite idea of pretending or faking.

Concept / Approach:
To solve antonym questions, first recall the central meaning of the word. Feign means to make a false show of something, such as feign illness or feign interest, when the feeling is not genuine. Therefore, its antonym should represent realness, truth, or actual state. Bluff, affect, and act all relate to behaviour that may be artificial or deceptive. Fact, on the other hand, represents reality or something that is true. Thus, fact stands in clear contrast to the idea of pretending or faking implied by feign, making it the correct antonym among the options.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the meaning of feign as to pretend or to give a false appearance of something. Step 2: Examine option A bluff, which also means to deceive or pretend, especially in card games or negotiations, so it is similar to feign, not opposite. Step 3: Examine option B affect, which in this context can mean to put on a false display of behaviour, again close in meaning to feign. Step 4: Consider option C act, which often refers to performing or behaving in a role that may not reflect true feelings, still within the field of pretence. Step 5: Recognise that option D fact signifies a piece of true information or reality, which directly opposes the concept of feigned or pretended behaviour, so it is the correct antonym.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification can be done through example sentences. If a person feigns sadness, the emotion is not real. The opposite situation would be where the sadness is real and based on fact. In reading comprehension, you might see a line such as He did not feign surprise; his shock was based on the facts of the case. Here, fact stands as a marker of truthfulness. While the answer choice fact is a noun and feign is a verb, exam questions sometimes permit cross part of speech antonyms as long as the core meaning is clearly opposite. This is acceptable in many competitive English tests.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A bluff means to pretend confidence or strength to mislead others, which is almost a direct synonym of feign. Option B affect, in the sense used here, means to put on an artificial manner or style, which again aligns closely with pretending. Option C act refers to performing or behaving in a way that may not reflect inner reality, which is conceptually similar to feigning.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes focus only on whether the words belong to the same grammatical category and ignore meaning. They may reject fact simply because it is a noun while feign is a verb, even though in terms of sense it is the only real opposite. Another pitfall is assuming that all unfamiliar words are opposites, leading to random guessing. A better approach is to build a strong mental picture of the base word, in this case someone pretending, and then look for an option that suggests the opposite situation of genuine truth or reality.

Final Answer:
fact