Introduction to Pharmacology

1. What does pharmacokinetics describe?

A. What the drug does to the body
B. The movement of the drug through the body
C. Grouping drugs by their function
D. Legal regulation of drugs


2. What does pharmacodynamics describe?

A. The movement of the drug through the body
B. The way the drug affects the body
C. The rate of drug absorption
D. The excretion of drugs


3. How are drugs grouped in drug classification systems?

A. By chemical formula
B. By the company that created them
C. By physiologic function and disease state treated
D. By their legal category


4. What is a generic drug name?

A. The brand name with a capital letter
B. The chemical composition
C. The non-proprietary, official name not capitalized
D. The registered trade name


5. What is a brand (trade) drug name?

A. The chemical structure of the drug
B. The non-proprietary name
C. The proprietary name with a capital letter and ® symbol
D. A number assigned during development


6. What is the main purpose of the FDA in pharmacology?

A. To monitor advertising of drugs
B. To protect patients and ensure drug effectiveness
C. To limit the number of new drugs on the market
D. To regulate hospital nursing practice


7. What does a Black Box Warning indicate?

A. A drug has no medical use
B. A severe reaction pattern has emerged with a new drug
C. A drug is being discontinued
D. A drug is safe with monitoring


8. What type of drugs are in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act?

A. Approved medical use with moderate abuse potential
B. High abuse potential with no approved medical use
C. Low abuse potential, may not need prescription
D. Moderate abuse potential with limited refills


9. What type of drugs are in Schedule II?

A. High abuse potential, medical use, written prescription with no refills
B. Moderate abuse potential, refills allowed
C. Low abuse potential, may not need prescription
D. No medical use, high abuse potential


10. What type of drugs are in Schedule V?

A. No medical use
B. May be used for cough/diarrhea, lowest abuse potential
C. Require written prescriptions with no refills
D. Moderate to high abuse potential


11. What is dissolution in the pharmaceutical phase?

A. Breaking down a drug into liquid to be utilized
B. Eliminating drugs from the body
C. Transport of drug to organs
D. Converting drug into metabolites


12. What is bioavailability?

A. The time for a drug to act on the body
B. The amount of drug reaching circulation to act on cells
C. The speed of drug metabolism
D. The rate of excretion


13. What usually improves absorption of medications?

A. Taking them with fatty meals
B. Taking them on an empty stomach
C. Taking them with calcium supplements
D. Taking them with other medications


14. What does an enteric coating on medication do?

A. Makes absorption faster in the stomach
B. Prevents dissolution until the drug reaches the intestine
C. Increases dissolution in the mouth
D. Prevents side effects


15. Where do drugs distribute most rapidly?

A. Skin and bone
B. Fat tissue
C. Heart, liver, kidneys
D. Nails and hair


16. What is the effect of high protein binding on drugs?

A. Drugs act more strongly
B. Only unbound “free” drug exerts effect
C. More drug is excreted immediately
D. Protein binding has no effect


17. Why do patients with low albumin levels require lower doses of protein-bound drugs?

A. More drug is excreted in the kidneys
B. More free drug is available in circulation
C. The drug is metabolized faster
D. Protein prevents drug activation


18. What is the first-pass effect?

A. Oral drugs passing through the stomach before acting
B. Oral drugs extensively metabolized in the liver before systemic circulation
C. IV drugs bypassing the liver
D. Rapid kidney excretion of oral drugs


19. What organ is the primary site of metabolism?

A. Kidneys
B. Lungs
C. Liver
D. Skin


20. What organ is the primary site of drug excretion?

A. Kidneys
B. Lungs
C. Liver
D. Skin


21. What does onset of action describe?

A. Time for drug to be eliminated
B. Time required to produce a therapeutic effect
C. Maximum therapeutic effect
D. Concentration range in blood


22. What does duration of action describe?

A. Length of time a drug produces therapeutic effect without another dose
B. Time it takes for drug to dissolve in GI tract
C. The time until drug is fully eliminated
D. The time between doses


23. What is drug half-life?

A. Time for drug to peak in blood
B. Time for 50% of drug to be removed from body
C. Time for maximum therapeutic effect
D. Time for drug to dissolve in GI tract


24. Why do drugs with a long half-life pose a higher risk of toxicity?

A. They require larger doses
B. They remain in the body longer before elimination
C. They act more slowly
D. They are not absorbed


25. What is the primary therapeutic effect of a drug?

A. The unintended reaction
B. The desired, intended effect for which it was prescribed
C. The harmful side effect
D. The unpredictable abnormal reaction


26. What is an idiosyncratic reaction?

A. Predictable side effect
B. Extension of normal effect
C. Unexpected or abnormal response to a drug
D. Interaction between two drugs


27. What is an additive effect between two drugs?

A. 1+1 = 2
B. 1+1 = greater than 2
C. 1+1 = less than 2
D. 1+1 = chemical incompatibility


28. What is an antagonistic drug interaction?

A. Two drugs enhancing each other’s effect
B. One drug counteracting another drug
C. Two drugs producing a chemical precipitate
D. Two drugs requiring higher doses together


29. What is an example of a selective systemic effect?

A. An ointment applied to the skin
B. Lasix acting on the kidneys
C. A drug causing drowsiness
D. IV antibiotics affecting the whole body


30. What population group may require dose adjustments due to body composition differences?

A. Middle-aged adults
B. Neonates and older adults
C. Adolescents
D. Athletes


31. What are secondary drug effects?

A. Desired, therapeutic effects
B. Unintended side effects
C. The mechanism of drug action
D. Legal drug classifications


32. What type of drug reaction is caused by the immune system?

A. Pharmacologic reaction
B. Allergic reaction (hypersensitivity)
C. Idiosyncratic reaction
D. Antagonistic reaction


33. What cultural factor can influence drug response?

A. Genetic differences
B. Only diet
C. Only religion
D. Only environment


34. What vulnerable population may face barriers to adequate health care and drug therapy?

A. Middle-aged men with jobs
B. Homeless individuals
C. Professional athletes
D. University students