"They returned to the beach, where blankets spotted the slope to the water. An advancing wall of clouds, black and gray, darkening the expanse of ground beneath, approached from the west. To the east and above them, the sky remained clear, the sun warm, as if collaborating in the deception."

The "deception" referred to in the passage is that ______.

A. there is no storm approaching
B. the sky is clear in the east
C. it is too cold to swim
D. the sun is warm

Deception is a word that suggests or implies that someone is deceived, or in simple terms, there is something hidden from a person's view. This "deception" denotes the very act of hiding, concealing the truth about something.

In the above-given passage, the writer uses in such a way that the sun rays, along with the clear sky are deceiving the people from the reality of the possibility of a storm coming from the west. The east sky which is clear along with the warm sun is acting as if they are in collaboration with each other in hiding the real threat of the advancing storm.

Thus, the word "deception" is referred to in the passage to try to show that there is no storm approaching.

Thus, the correct answer is option (A).