Best option: A

Reasoning: During the stepwise sintering of feldspathic porcelain, particle coalescence and densification continue as the temperature rises. By the high-bisque (near-maturity) firing, the porcelain has reached almost complete sintering; practically all densification—and therefore the greatest linear shrinkage—has already occurred, whereas only minimal additional shrinkage takes place during the subsequent fusion/glaze heat (O’Brien et al., 1994, PMID 7990048).