The Writing Center@KSU
318 Satterfield Hall, (330) 672-1787
writing@kent.edu
http://dept.kent.edu/english/WritingCent/
Mini Lesson #30: Studying for the GSP test
About the GSP test:
The Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation test (the GSP) is offered through the department of Journalism
and Mass Communication. Students must pass the GSP before enrolling in these courses:
Media Information Gathering
Advertising Copywriting
Advertising Media Planning
Newswriting
Photojournalism I
Concept Psychographics
Writing for Electronic Media
Ethics and Issues in Mass Comm
Information Graphics
Programming for Electronic Media
Law of Mass Communication
Concept Psychographics
Taking the GSP test:
Media Writing offers preparation for the GSP. For additional tests, sign up is available at 130 Taylor.
Pay the test fee ($5) at the Bursar’s Office in the Michael Schwartz Center. Show up on the test day
with the receipt and a #2 pencil. GSP test dates are listed at http://jmc.kent.edu.
Studying for the GSP: (listed in hierarchical order)
1.
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/
This website offers interactive quizzes for you to take and practice with. When you answer a
question incorrectly, an explanation is provided to help you better understand the grammar rule.
2.
When Words Collide: A Media Writer’s Guide to Grammar and Style by Lauren
Kessler and Duncan McDonald; Fifth Edition
This book is the text used in Media Writing classes. There is also a supplemental booklet,
Exercises for Kessler and McDonald’s When Words Collide by Duncan McDonald, which you
might also consider buying for more help.
3.
AP Stylebook edited by Norm Goldstein
Often called “the Journalist’s Bible,” the AP Stylebook provides a variety of essential
information, including fundamental guidelines on spelling, grammar, punctuation and usage.
4.
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/GramStyPunct.html
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center website offers information about subjectverb agreement, semicolons, conjunctions, adverbs, dashes and commas.
5.
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/
This Rutgers website offers detailed explanations for grammar and punctuation concepts,
offering both conventional English and journalistic style comments.
The following sample questions were pulled from an actual GSP exam.
Sample Grammar Section (34 Questions):
1.
Anita listened to the poems that Ms. Garcia read to the class with her eyes shut.
a.
“with her eyes shut” should be placed before “Anita”
b.
“with her eyes shut” should be placed after “poems”
c.
“with her eyes shut” should be placed after “that”
d.
“with her eyes shut” should be placed after “read”
e.
the sentence is correct as written
2.
Wendy amazed her parent and us by winning the 400-meter dash at the district track meet.
a.
“amazed” should be replaced with “amased”
b.
“us” should be placed with “we”
c.
there should be a comma after “us”
d.
“400-meter dash” should be placed with “400-meter-dash”
e.
the sentence is correct as written
3.
George had a niece which her parents were dead.
a.
“niece” should be replaced with “neice”
b.
“which” should be placed with “who”
c.
“which” should be placed with “that”
d.
“which her” should be placed with “whose”
e.
the sentence is correct as written
4.
For everyone who is willing to put forth his best effort in school, there is two kinds of financial
aid: scholarships and loans.
a.
“his” should be replaced with “their”
b.
“who” should be placed with “that”
c.
“everyone” should be placed with “ever one”
d.
“there is” should be placed with “there are”
e.
the sentence is correct as written
5.
The footprints under the window suggests a burglary at the beach cottage.
a.
“footprints” should be replaced with “footprint’s”
b.
“suggests” should be placed with “suggest”
c.
“burglary” should be placed with “burglary was”
d.
there should be a hyphen between “beach” and “cottage”
e.
the sentence is correct as written
6.
Although not a sympathetic sort, Mrs. Harrison felt badly about backing her car into the
children’s snow fort.
a.
“into” should be replaced with “in to”
b.
“about” should be placed with “from”
c.
“badly” should be placed with “bad”
d.
the apostrophe in “children’s” should be omitted
e.
the sentence is correct as written
Sample Punctuation Section (33 Questions):
1.
Shouting a warning to the crew, Canty ran for the winch to slacken the tautly-drawn cable.
a.
the hyphen between “tautly” and “drawn” should be changed to a dash
b.
the comma after “crew” should be omitted
c.
the comma after “crew” should be replaced with a semicolon
d.
the hyphen between “tautly” and “drawn” should be omitted
e.
the sentence is correct as written
2.
The new professor of education has edited two series of mathematics textbooks for elementary
school students.
a.
“series” should be replaced with “serie’s”
b.
“series” should be replaced with “series’ “
c.
“series” should be replaced with “series’s”
d.
“mathematics” should be replaced with “mathematics’ “
e.
the sentence is correct as written
3.
The children soon forgot their quarrel but their parents foolishly continued the feud, even after
the school year ended.
a.
there should be a comma after “quarrel”
b.
there should be a semi-colon after “quarrel”
c.
the comma after “feud” should be omitted
d.
the comma after “feud” should be replaced with a semicolon
e.
the sentence is correct as written
4.
The following officers were elected; Anita Garcia, president; Sylvester Tewkes, vice president;
and Juan Sanchez, secretary-treasurer.
a.
the semicolon after “elected” should be changed to a colon
b.
the commas after “Garcia,” “Tewkes” and “Sanchez” should be omitted
c.
the semicolon after “vice president” should be omitted
d.
the hyphen between “secretary” and “treasurer” should be omitted
e.
the sentence is correct as written
5.
“Is there no possibility,” Franklin asked querulously, “of lightening this stuffy program with just
a little humor”?
a.
the comma after “possibility” should follow the quotation marks
b.
there should be a comma after “asked”
c.
the question mark should precede the quotation marks
d.
the comma after “querulously” should be omitted
e.
the sentence is correct as written
6.
“The party must be starting,” Althea said. “I see the Marshall’s in the Elliots’ backyard.”
a.
“Marshall’s” should be replaced with “Marshalls”
b.
“Elliots’” should be replaced with “Elliot’s”
c.
the period after “said” should be replaced with a comma
d.
the period after “said” should be replaced with a colon
e.
the sentence is correct as written
Spelling Section (33 Questions):
These are words from which this portion of the test is made. You will have to choose the correctly
spelled word from four words. Try using flashcards and memorization for words you are having
difficulty learning. Try mnemonic devices, like “a lot of people forget there’s a space between a and lot.”
absorption
abysmal
accelerator
adaptability
admissible
adolescent
allegiance
allotted
aluminum
accidentally
accommodate
accumulate
conferred
acknowledge
affidavit
affiliate
ambiguous
analysis
cruelty
curiosity
aggressive
alienate
dependent
annihilated
advantageous
align
all right
antecedent
antidote
anxiety
apologize
corroborate
appellate
appetite
argument
arthritis
facilitate
fallacies
familiar
cynical
assassinate
assessment
assistance
counterfeit
attendance
audience
auxiliary
bankruptcy
baptize
basically
beginning
behavior
deceitful
beverage
boisterous
bookkeeper
brilliant
bulletin
bureau
business
cafeteria
caffeine
calendar
camouflage
campaign
candidate
carburetor
catastrophe
cemetery
cartridge
censuring
chauffeur
collateral
collegiate
commemorate
fascinate
feasible
categorically
February
committed
committee
compatible
concede
competitive
complimentary
consensus
acquiesce
complimentary
across
consistency
contagious
controlled
controversy
conspicuous
achievement
defendant
deficiency
conscientious
asinine
copyright
descendant
desperate
destruction
convalescent
countenance
detriment
deteriorate
contemptuous
analyze
dietitian
digestible
fictitious
fluorescent
dilemma
diocese
diphtheria
disastrous
discernible
benefit
discerning
disinfectant
dissension
dissipate
dissuade
distinction
distinguish
drudgery
drunkenness
athlete
ecstasy
eligible
embarrass
emphasize
enthusiastic
economically
enunciate
equilibrium
encouragement
apparel
espionage
evidently
exaggerate
excessive
equivalent
environment
excitement
exhilarate
existence
criticize
exorbitant
experience
explicit
forfeit
forty
fraudulent
frivolous
gallant
friendliness
deceive
gelatin
generosity
generous
government
grammar
fundamental
grandiose
gruesome
gubernatorial
definite
harass
hastily
heinous
hemorrhage
hereditary
handkerchief
heresy
hesitancy
hindrance
foreign
homicide
hypocrisy
hysterical
ideologies
idiomatic
illiterate
imitation
impromptu
immediately
divide
inaugurate
inaccessible
incidentally
inevitably
intermittent
independent
irrelevant
jealousy
judgment
exceed
jurisdiction
kerosene
knowledge
laboratory
liaison
kaleidoscope
libraries
livelihood
maintenance
grief
mandatory
mayonnaise
merciless
millennium
mimicked
manageable
miniature
minuscule
misshapen
icicle
missile
misspelled
mosquitoes
moveable
necessary
noticeable
nucleus
numerous
obviously
illicit
occasion
occurred
occurrence
opportunity
ostracize
overrule
pageant
panel
parallel
naive
parliament
pastime
permissible
physically
pigeon
pizzeria
pneumonia
privilege
preparations
precede
prejudices
promissory
publicly
quantity
receive
professional
recommend
referring
presumptuous
proceed
relevant
relieve
reminiscent
repetitious
rescind
questionnaire
restaurant
rhythm
pronunciation
seize
ridiculous
society
sophomore
specimen
sponsor
stubbornness
subpoena
subtle
suggestible
surprise
supersede
symbolic
tangible
tentative
temperament
superintendent
totally
trafficking
temperature
tacit
tragedy
villain
warrior
a lot
weird
wholly
wield
similarly
silhouette
view
siege
twelfth
ugliness
vacillate
vaccinate
unnecessary
valuable
varieties
vengeance
truly
vertical
separate
sergeant
severely
shepherd
sheriff
righteous
sacrificing
For a more readable list, visit 130 Taylor
Answer Key & What to Study for the Correct Answer:
Grammar Section
1) a - review misplaced modifiers 2) e - correct as written 3) d - incorrect relative pronoun 4) d - S/V agreement 5) b S/V
agreement 6) c - incorrect use of adverbial
Punctuation Section
1) d - hyphen usage with “-ly” 2) e - correct as written 3) a - coordinating conjunction comma 4) a - colon and semicolon use
5) c - quotation marks 6) a - possessive plural form
*HELPFUL HINT: Don’t be confused by trick questions: grammar questions will only have grammar answers. Spelling and
punctuation will only be tested in there respective sections!
This mini-lesson was created by Elena C. Alvarado-Peters 11/02