1. You received some draft copy for an author website that contains the following rather long sentence: Alexander McCall Smith was born in what is now Zimbabwe and was educated there and in Scotland before becoming a law professor in Scotland and later returning to Africa to help set up a new law school at the University of Botswana. Which of these four alternatives does the best job of revising the material to improve its readability without losing any of the original information or introducing any new information

Options:

A. A native of what is now Zimbabwe. Alexander McCall Smith was educated in what is now Zimbabwe as well as Scotland. He became a law professor in Scotland and later returned to Africa to help set up a law school at the University of Botswana.

B. Alexander McCall Smith was educated in Zimbabwe and Scotland, where he became a law professor. He later returned to Africa to help set up a law school at the University of Botswana.

C. Returning to Africa to help set up a law school at the University of Botswana must've felt like a homecoming of sorts for Zimbabwe native Alexander McCall Smith, who was educated in both Zimbabwe and Scotland.

D. Alexander McCall smith was born in what in now Zimbabwe and was educated there and in Scotland. He became a law professor in Scotland and later returned to Africa to help set up a law school at the University of Botswana.

The alternative that does the best job of revising the material to improve its readability without losing any of the original information or introducing any new information is:

B. Alexander McCall Smith was educated in Zimbabwe and Scotland, where he became a law professor. He later returned to Africa to help set up a law school at the University of Botswana.

Explanation:

Improving readability means making a written content clear and easy for the target audience to understand.  The main strategies for improving readability include the usage of short and easy words, using short sentences where possible, and doing away with some unnecessary adjectives, adverbs, and jargons.