Answer:
B). Connecting clues to background knowledge.
Step-by-step explanation:
The significant step in making and checking predictions while reading would be to develop an association between the connecting clues and the background knowledge. The background knowledge will assist in knowing the context of content while clues will give a hint how the idea is related to that background. This will not only assist in making inferences but also identifying whether the prediction applies to the context of text or not. This promotes a better comprehension of the key ideas that the author wishes to convey through the text. This further assists in making deductions by evaluating and analyzing the text. Thus, option B is the correct answer.