Which of the following skills is important for reading comprehension?

The ability to predict outcomes and make inferences is crucial for reading comprehension because it allows readers to engage with the text on a deeper level. When readers make predictions about what might happen next in a story or infer meanings that are not explicitly stated, they are actively interacting with the material. This engagement often leads to better retention of information and a more thorough understanding of the themes, character motivations, and overall narrative structure. Such skills stimulate critical thinking and cognitive processes that enhance interpretation and connectivity between different parts of the text.

In contrast, strategies like memorizing entire books primarily focus on recall, which doesn't necessarily promote understanding of the material or the nuances within it. Reading aloud can improve pronunciation and fluency but may not always contribute to comprehension in the same way that inference-making does. Translating the text into another language can assist understanding for bilingual readers but also does not inherently develop the skills necessary for comprehensive reading in the original language. Hence, making predictions and inferences is a fundamental aspect of understanding and processing what one reads.