N352 EXAM 1 REVIEW | COMPREHENSIVE NURSING STUDY GUIDE, PRACTICE
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 2026/2027
Which statement by a new nurse indicates that further study is indicated?
1. Effectiveness is the most important property a drug can have.
2. There is no such thing as a safe drug.
3. Drugs are defined as illegal substances.
4. There is no such thing as a selective drug; all medications cause side effects. - ANS ✔✔3
A nurse is preparing to give an oral dose of drug X to treat a patient's high blood pressure. After giving
the drug, the nurse finds that it reduces the blood pressure without serious harmful effects, but it also
causes the patient to have nausea and a headache. Based on this information, which property of an ideal
drug is this drug lacking?
1. Effectiveness
2. Safety
3. Selectivity
4. Ease of administration - ANS ✔✔3
The nurse is preparing to give a drug with certain properties. Which property of the drug is the most
compelling indication that it should not be given?
1. The drug produces an unwanted side effect
2. The drug is difficult to administer
3. The drug's effects are reversible
4. The drug is not effective for its intended purpose - ANS ✔✔4
Why is it important for drugs to have ease of administration?
1. Fewer administration errors
2. Less risk of side effects
3. Greater chemical stability
4. Greater likelihood of reversibility - ANS ✔✔1
What is the ultimate concern for the nurse when administering a drug?
1. Intensity of the response
2. Dosage
3. Route of administration
4. Timing of administration - ANS ✔✔1
The nurse teaches a patient not to consume alcohol with nitroglycerine, because the blood pressure
often drops significantly when nitroglycerine is taken with alcohol. Which drug property does this
illustrate?
,1. Chemical instability
2. Drug interaction
3. Reversible action
4. Drug selectivity - ANS ✔✔2
When studying the impact a drug has on the body, the nurse is reviewing what?
1. The drug's pharmacokinetics
2. The drug's selectivity
3. The drug's pharmacodynamics
4. The drug's predictability - ANS ✔✔3
Characteristics unique to each patient can influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes.
What characteristics may determine the patient's response to a drug?
Select all that apply.
1. Age
2. Gender
3. Weight
4. Mood
5. Genetics - ANS ✔✔1, 2, 3
When studying the effects of drugs in humans, the nurse is learning about what?
1. Pharmacology
2. Clinical pharmacology
3. Therapeutics
4. Effectiveness - ANS ✔✔2
What is the objective of drug therapy?
1. Provide maximum benefit with minimal harm
2. Provide minimum benefit with maximum harm
3. Provide total relief of symptoms regardless of harm
4. Provide as much benefit as possible - ANS ✔✔1
Which statements about medication administration would the nurse identify as true?
Select all that apply.
1. All drugs have the potential to produce undesired effects.
2. Drug therapy often can be enhanced by nonpharmacologic measures.
3. Patients taking two drugs are not likely to have a drug interaction.
4. Nurses' knowledge of pharmacology is more important for standing orders than for PRN medications.
5. Patient adherence is essential in achieving the therapeutic objective of medications. - ANS ✔✔1, 2, 5
The nurse is preparing to administer a dose of penicillin. Before administering the medication, the nurse
assesses the patient's allergy history. Which aspect of drug therapy does this represent?
,1. Making PRN (as needed) decisions
2. Evaluating therapeutic effects
3. Ensuring proper dosage
4. Identifying high-risk patients - ANS ✔✔4
Which aspect of drug therapy indicates to the nurse whether a drug is having a beneficial effect?
1. Performing a preadministration assessment
2. Evaluating therapeutic responses
3. Minimizing adverse effects
4. Managing toxicity - ANS ✔✔2
When educating patients about their medications, the nurse includes information about which topics?
Select all that apply.
1. What to do if a dose is missed
2. The duration of treatment
3. Prescription drug coverage
4. The method of drug storage
5. Symptoms of adverse effects - ANS ✔✔1, 2, 4, 5
A diabetic patient is taught the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia with insulin use. The patient knows
to eat fast-acting carbohydrates. This is an example of what goal?
1. Minimizing adverse effects
2. Promoting therapeutic effects
3. Minimizing adverse interactions
4. Managing toxicity - ANS ✔✔1
The nurse is obtaining a drug history for a patient admitted to the unit. The nurse obtains information
about past and present health histories, currently used prescription drugs, behavioral factors, and use of
over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. What other information does the nurse need to obtain?
Select all that apply.
1. Use of recreational drugs and substances
2. Usual sleep patterns and disturbances
3. Highest level of education completed
4. Use of herbal remedies
5. Self-treatment with complementary and alternative drugs - ANS ✔✔1, 4, 5
The nurse identifies what as the goal of drug therapy in the treatment of patients?
1. Cure of the disease
2. Follow-up with the prescriber
3. Correct administration technique
4. Production of maximum benefit with minimum harm - ANS ✔✔4
, When questioning a patient about his or her allergic reaction to a drug, the nurse should ask for what
additional information?
1. The dose taken
2. The type of reaction
3. Who gave the drug
4. What was eaten with the drug - ANS ✔✔2
The nurse is managing the care of a group of patients with cancer who will be receiving chemotherapy.
The nurse defines goals, sets priorities, identifies interventions, and establishes criteria for evaluating
success. Which phase of the nursing process does this represent?
1. Assessment
2. Planning
3. Implementation
4. Evaluation - ANS ✔✔2
The nurse is preparing to administer a medication with the following order: "Aldomet 250 mg daily."
What should the nurse do?
1. Administer the medication as it was given last time.
2. Administer the medication by mouth.
3. Verify the order with the prescriber.
4. Ask the patient how this medication is usually given. - ANS ✔✔3
What term is commonly used for nonprescription drugs?
1. Legend
2. Generic
3. Over-the-counter
4. Pharmaceutical - ANS ✔✔3
What is a result of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) of 1992?
1. New drugs reach the market sooner than ever before.
2. Controlled substances are categorized into schedules.
3. Drugs for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) receive accelerated approval.
4. More research is conducted on drug safety in children. - ANS ✔✔1
Which legislation set rules for the manufacture and distribution of drugs considered to have the
potential for abuse?
1. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938
2. Harris-Kefauver Amendments of 1962
3. Controlled Substances Act of 1970
4. Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 - ANS ✔✔3
Which is a true statement about new drug development?
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 2026/2027
Which statement by a new nurse indicates that further study is indicated?
1. Effectiveness is the most important property a drug can have.
2. There is no such thing as a safe drug.
3. Drugs are defined as illegal substances.
4. There is no such thing as a selective drug; all medications cause side effects. - ANS ✔✔3
A nurse is preparing to give an oral dose of drug X to treat a patient's high blood pressure. After giving
the drug, the nurse finds that it reduces the blood pressure without serious harmful effects, but it also
causes the patient to have nausea and a headache. Based on this information, which property of an ideal
drug is this drug lacking?
1. Effectiveness
2. Safety
3. Selectivity
4. Ease of administration - ANS ✔✔3
The nurse is preparing to give a drug with certain properties. Which property of the drug is the most
compelling indication that it should not be given?
1. The drug produces an unwanted side effect
2. The drug is difficult to administer
3. The drug's effects are reversible
4. The drug is not effective for its intended purpose - ANS ✔✔4
Why is it important for drugs to have ease of administration?
1. Fewer administration errors
2. Less risk of side effects
3. Greater chemical stability
4. Greater likelihood of reversibility - ANS ✔✔1
What is the ultimate concern for the nurse when administering a drug?
1. Intensity of the response
2. Dosage
3. Route of administration
4. Timing of administration - ANS ✔✔1
The nurse teaches a patient not to consume alcohol with nitroglycerine, because the blood pressure
often drops significantly when nitroglycerine is taken with alcohol. Which drug property does this
illustrate?
,1. Chemical instability
2. Drug interaction
3. Reversible action
4. Drug selectivity - ANS ✔✔2
When studying the impact a drug has on the body, the nurse is reviewing what?
1. The drug's pharmacokinetics
2. The drug's selectivity
3. The drug's pharmacodynamics
4. The drug's predictability - ANS ✔✔3
Characteristics unique to each patient can influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes.
What characteristics may determine the patient's response to a drug?
Select all that apply.
1. Age
2. Gender
3. Weight
4. Mood
5. Genetics - ANS ✔✔1, 2, 3
When studying the effects of drugs in humans, the nurse is learning about what?
1. Pharmacology
2. Clinical pharmacology
3. Therapeutics
4. Effectiveness - ANS ✔✔2
What is the objective of drug therapy?
1. Provide maximum benefit with minimal harm
2. Provide minimum benefit with maximum harm
3. Provide total relief of symptoms regardless of harm
4. Provide as much benefit as possible - ANS ✔✔1
Which statements about medication administration would the nurse identify as true?
Select all that apply.
1. All drugs have the potential to produce undesired effects.
2. Drug therapy often can be enhanced by nonpharmacologic measures.
3. Patients taking two drugs are not likely to have a drug interaction.
4. Nurses' knowledge of pharmacology is more important for standing orders than for PRN medications.
5. Patient adherence is essential in achieving the therapeutic objective of medications. - ANS ✔✔1, 2, 5
The nurse is preparing to administer a dose of penicillin. Before administering the medication, the nurse
assesses the patient's allergy history. Which aspect of drug therapy does this represent?
,1. Making PRN (as needed) decisions
2. Evaluating therapeutic effects
3. Ensuring proper dosage
4. Identifying high-risk patients - ANS ✔✔4
Which aspect of drug therapy indicates to the nurse whether a drug is having a beneficial effect?
1. Performing a preadministration assessment
2. Evaluating therapeutic responses
3. Minimizing adverse effects
4. Managing toxicity - ANS ✔✔2
When educating patients about their medications, the nurse includes information about which topics?
Select all that apply.
1. What to do if a dose is missed
2. The duration of treatment
3. Prescription drug coverage
4. The method of drug storage
5. Symptoms of adverse effects - ANS ✔✔1, 2, 4, 5
A diabetic patient is taught the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia with insulin use. The patient knows
to eat fast-acting carbohydrates. This is an example of what goal?
1. Minimizing adverse effects
2. Promoting therapeutic effects
3. Minimizing adverse interactions
4. Managing toxicity - ANS ✔✔1
The nurse is obtaining a drug history for a patient admitted to the unit. The nurse obtains information
about past and present health histories, currently used prescription drugs, behavioral factors, and use of
over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. What other information does the nurse need to obtain?
Select all that apply.
1. Use of recreational drugs and substances
2. Usual sleep patterns and disturbances
3. Highest level of education completed
4. Use of herbal remedies
5. Self-treatment with complementary and alternative drugs - ANS ✔✔1, 4, 5
The nurse identifies what as the goal of drug therapy in the treatment of patients?
1. Cure of the disease
2. Follow-up with the prescriber
3. Correct administration technique
4. Production of maximum benefit with minimum harm - ANS ✔✔4
, When questioning a patient about his or her allergic reaction to a drug, the nurse should ask for what
additional information?
1. The dose taken
2. The type of reaction
3. Who gave the drug
4. What was eaten with the drug - ANS ✔✔2
The nurse is managing the care of a group of patients with cancer who will be receiving chemotherapy.
The nurse defines goals, sets priorities, identifies interventions, and establishes criteria for evaluating
success. Which phase of the nursing process does this represent?
1. Assessment
2. Planning
3. Implementation
4. Evaluation - ANS ✔✔2
The nurse is preparing to administer a medication with the following order: "Aldomet 250 mg daily."
What should the nurse do?
1. Administer the medication as it was given last time.
2. Administer the medication by mouth.
3. Verify the order with the prescriber.
4. Ask the patient how this medication is usually given. - ANS ✔✔3
What term is commonly used for nonprescription drugs?
1. Legend
2. Generic
3. Over-the-counter
4. Pharmaceutical - ANS ✔✔3
What is a result of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) of 1992?
1. New drugs reach the market sooner than ever before.
2. Controlled substances are categorized into schedules.
3. Drugs for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) receive accelerated approval.
4. More research is conducted on drug safety in children. - ANS ✔✔1
Which legislation set rules for the manufacture and distribution of drugs considered to have the
potential for abuse?
1. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938
2. Harris-Kefauver Amendments of 1962
3. Controlled Substances Act of 1970
4. Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 - ANS ✔✔3
Which is a true statement about new drug development?
