Goodman and Gilman's The
Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics
14th Edition
• Author(s)Laurence Brunton; Bjorn
Knollmann
(Goodman & Gilman–Only | Exam-Ready |
Nursing-Focused)
Goodman & Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of
Therapeutics, 14th Edition
Chapter: “Drug Discovery: From Medicinal Plants to Computer-
Aided Drug Design”
,Nursing Pharmacology MCQs
Chapter: Drug Discovery – Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed.
Total: 20 Questions
1. Which historical observation most directly led to the
systematic development of modern pharmacology?
A. Empirical trial-and-error use of synthetic chemicals
B. Identification of active compounds from medicinal plants
C. Random screening of industrial chemicals
D. Development of molecular docking software
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Goodman & Gilman emphasizes that many
foundational drugs originated from isolating active principles
from medicinal plants, which established the basis for rational
drug discovery.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery: From
Medicinal Plants to Computer-Aided Drug Design
2. Which term best describes a compound that binds to a
biological target but lacks sufficient specificity for therapeutic
use?
A. Lead compound
B. Prototype drug
,C. Hit compound
D. Optimized analog
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A “hit” compound is identified during screening as
having biological activity but often requires significant
optimization to improve selectivity, potency, and safety.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery
3. During lead optimization, which property is MOST directly
modified to improve drug safety?
A. Target expression
B. Chemical structure
C. Disease prevalence
D. Route of administration
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Lead optimization involves chemical modification to
enhance selectivity, reduce toxicity, and improve
pharmacokinetic properties.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery
4. High-throughput screening (HTS) is primarily used to:
A. Determine clinical efficacy
B. Assess long-term toxicity
, C. Rapidly test large numbers of compounds
D. Replace animal studies
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: HTS allows automated testing of thousands to
millions of compounds against a defined biological target to
identify potential hits.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery
5. Which feature BEST distinguishes rational drug design from
traditional discovery methods?
A. Use of animal models
B. Reliance on molecular target structure
C. Clinical trial sequencing
D. Empirical dose escalation
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Rational drug design uses knowledge of the
molecular structure of targets to design compounds with
specific binding properties.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery
6. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) primarily assists by:
A. Predicting patient adherence
B. Modeling drug–target interactions
Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics
14th Edition
• Author(s)Laurence Brunton; Bjorn
Knollmann
(Goodman & Gilman–Only | Exam-Ready |
Nursing-Focused)
Goodman & Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of
Therapeutics, 14th Edition
Chapter: “Drug Discovery: From Medicinal Plants to Computer-
Aided Drug Design”
,Nursing Pharmacology MCQs
Chapter: Drug Discovery – Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed.
Total: 20 Questions
1. Which historical observation most directly led to the
systematic development of modern pharmacology?
A. Empirical trial-and-error use of synthetic chemicals
B. Identification of active compounds from medicinal plants
C. Random screening of industrial chemicals
D. Development of molecular docking software
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Goodman & Gilman emphasizes that many
foundational drugs originated from isolating active principles
from medicinal plants, which established the basis for rational
drug discovery.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery: From
Medicinal Plants to Computer-Aided Drug Design
2. Which term best describes a compound that binds to a
biological target but lacks sufficient specificity for therapeutic
use?
A. Lead compound
B. Prototype drug
,C. Hit compound
D. Optimized analog
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A “hit” compound is identified during screening as
having biological activity but often requires significant
optimization to improve selectivity, potency, and safety.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery
3. During lead optimization, which property is MOST directly
modified to improve drug safety?
A. Target expression
B. Chemical structure
C. Disease prevalence
D. Route of administration
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Lead optimization involves chemical modification to
enhance selectivity, reduce toxicity, and improve
pharmacokinetic properties.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery
4. High-throughput screening (HTS) is primarily used to:
A. Determine clinical efficacy
B. Assess long-term toxicity
, C. Rapidly test large numbers of compounds
D. Replace animal studies
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: HTS allows automated testing of thousands to
millions of compounds against a defined biological target to
identify potential hits.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery
5. Which feature BEST distinguishes rational drug design from
traditional discovery methods?
A. Use of animal models
B. Reliance on molecular target structure
C. Clinical trial sequencing
D. Empirical dose escalation
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Rational drug design uses knowledge of the
molecular structure of targets to design compounds with
specific binding properties.
Citation: Goodman & Gilman, 14th ed., Drug Discovery
6. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) primarily assists by:
A. Predicting patient adherence
B. Modeling drug–target interactions
