NSG 318 Exam 1 – GCU Pharmacology – 2026 Actual Questions & Answers.
NSG 318 Exam 1 – Introduction to Pharmacology (GCU)
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONS OF PHARMACOLOGY (Questions 1-25)
Question 1
What is the definition of pharmacology?
A) The study of pharmacy operations and drug dispensing
B) The study of drugs and their action on living organisms
C) The study of disease progression in the human body
D) The study of nursing interventions without medications
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacology is the scientific study of drugs, including their origin,
composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and
toxicology. It focuses on how drugs interact with living systems to produce
biological effects. This is distinct from pharmacy (dispensing) and pathophysiology
(disease study) .
Question 2
,A drug that binds to a receptor and produces a maximal response is called a(n):
A) Antagonist
B) Partial agonist
C) Agonist
D) Competitive inhibitor
Answer: C
Rationale: An agonist is a drug that binds to a receptor and activates it, producing
a biological response. A full agonist produces the maximal possible effect, while a
partial agonist produces a weaker response. Antagonists block the receptor
without activating it .
Question 3
Which term describes what the body does to a drug?
A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacotherapeutics
C) Pharmacokinetics
D) Pharmacogenomics
,Answer: C
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics is the study of what the body does to a drug—
specifically, the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion
(ADME). Pharmacodynamics is what the drug does to the body .
Question 4
A patient asks what "half-life" means. The nurse explains that half-life is the time
it takes for:
A) A drug to reach its peak concentration in the blood
B) The body to eliminate half of the drug's concentration
C) A drug to cause half of its therapeutic effect
D) The drug to be absorbed into the bloodstream
Answer: B
Rationale: Half-life is defined as the time required for the plasma concentration of
a drug to decrease by 50%. It is a key pharmacokinetic parameter that determines
dosing frequency and time to reach steady state (typically 4–5 half-lives) .
, Question 5
Which route of drug administration undergoes the first-pass effect?
A) Intravenous
B) Sublingual
C) Oral
D) Transdermal
Answer: C
Rationale: The first-pass effect refers to the liver's metabolism of a drug before it
reaches systemic circulation. Orally administered drugs are absorbed from the GI
tract and travel to the liver via the portal vein, where they may be extensively
metabolized. Other routes bypass the portal circulation .
Question 6
What is bioavailability?
A) The amount of drug bound to plasma proteins
B) The percentage of administered drug available for activity
C) The time it takes for a drug to reach steady state
NSG 318 Exam 1 – Introduction to Pharmacology (GCU)
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONS OF PHARMACOLOGY (Questions 1-25)
Question 1
What is the definition of pharmacology?
A) The study of pharmacy operations and drug dispensing
B) The study of drugs and their action on living organisms
C) The study of disease progression in the human body
D) The study of nursing interventions without medications
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacology is the scientific study of drugs, including their origin,
composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and
toxicology. It focuses on how drugs interact with living systems to produce
biological effects. This is distinct from pharmacy (dispensing) and pathophysiology
(disease study) .
Question 2
,A drug that binds to a receptor and produces a maximal response is called a(n):
A) Antagonist
B) Partial agonist
C) Agonist
D) Competitive inhibitor
Answer: C
Rationale: An agonist is a drug that binds to a receptor and activates it, producing
a biological response. A full agonist produces the maximal possible effect, while a
partial agonist produces a weaker response. Antagonists block the receptor
without activating it .
Question 3
Which term describes what the body does to a drug?
A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacotherapeutics
C) Pharmacokinetics
D) Pharmacogenomics
,Answer: C
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics is the study of what the body does to a drug—
specifically, the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion
(ADME). Pharmacodynamics is what the drug does to the body .
Question 4
A patient asks what "half-life" means. The nurse explains that half-life is the time
it takes for:
A) A drug to reach its peak concentration in the blood
B) The body to eliminate half of the drug's concentration
C) A drug to cause half of its therapeutic effect
D) The drug to be absorbed into the bloodstream
Answer: B
Rationale: Half-life is defined as the time required for the plasma concentration of
a drug to decrease by 50%. It is a key pharmacokinetic parameter that determines
dosing frequency and time to reach steady state (typically 4–5 half-lives) .
, Question 5
Which route of drug administration undergoes the first-pass effect?
A) Intravenous
B) Sublingual
C) Oral
D) Transdermal
Answer: C
Rationale: The first-pass effect refers to the liver's metabolism of a drug before it
reaches systemic circulation. Orally administered drugs are absorbed from the GI
tract and travel to the liver via the portal vein, where they may be extensively
metabolized. Other routes bypass the portal circulation .
Question 6
What is bioavailability?
A) The amount of drug bound to plasma proteins
B) The percentage of administered drug available for activity
C) The time it takes for a drug to reach steady state
