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NURS 615 PHARM EXAM 1 — MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY
2026/2027 Complete Practice Exam
High-Yield Pharmacology Questions, Answers & Detailed Rationales
Institution: Maryville University
Course: NURS 615 — Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics
Academic Year: 2026/2027
Resource type: Original 200-question pharmacology practice examination and
study guide
Format: Multiple-choice and short-answer questions with answers and rationales
Study focus: Pharmacology foundations, rational prescribing, pharmacokinetics,
pharmacodynamics, drug safety, autonomic pharmacology, special populations,
and clinical application
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction — Questions 1–40
2. Core Concepts — Questions 41–80
3. Applied Scenarios — Questions 81–120
4. Critical Thinking — Questions 121–160
5. Review Questions — Questions 161–200
SECTION I — INTRODUCTION
Questions 1–40
Question 1
,Which statement best describes pharmacology?
A. The study of disease mechanisms
B. The study of drugs and their effects on living organisms
C. The study of human anatomy
D. The study of laboratory diagnostics
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacology examines drugs, including their sources, mechanisms of action,
therapeutic effects, adverse effects, and interactions with biological systems.
Question 2
What does pharmacodynamics describe?
A. What the body does to a drug
B. How a drug is eliminated
C. What a drug does to the body
D. How a drug is absorbed
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Pharmacodynamics concerns drug effects on the body, including receptor
interactions, dose-response relationships, therapeutic effects, and adverse effects.
Question 3
What does pharmacokinetics describe?
A. What the drug does to receptors
B. What the body does to the drug
C. How a disease progresses
D. How a prescription is written
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics describes absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion—the
movement of a drug through the body.
Question 4
Which sequence correctly represents ADME?
A. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion
B. Administration, digestion, metabolism, elimination
C. Absorption, digestion, medication, excretion
D. Administration, distribution, metabolism, evaluation
,Correct answer: A
Rationale: ADME is the standard abbreviation for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
excretion.
Question 5
Which pharmacokinetic process determines how a medication enters systemic circulation?
A. Distribution
B. Absorption
C. Metabolism
D. Excretion
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Absorption is the movement of a drug from its administration site into systemic
circulation.
Question 6
Which route generally provides 100% bioavailability?
A. Oral
B. Subcutaneous
C. Intravenous
D. Intramuscular
Correct answer: C
Rationale: An IV dose enters systemic circulation directly, so its bioavailability is effectively
100%.
Question 7
Bioavailability refers to:
A. The percentage of a dose reaching systemic circulation
B. The amount of drug bound to protein
C. The time required for excretion
D. The drug's receptor affinity
Correct answer: A
Rationale: Bioavailability is the fraction of an administered dose that reaches systemic
circulation in an active form.
Question 8
, Which route is most affected by first-pass hepatic metabolism?
A. Intravenous
B. Oral
C. Sublingual
D. Transdermal
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Orally administered drugs pass through the gastrointestinal tract and portal
circulation before reaching systemic circulation, allowing substantial hepatic first-pass
metabolism.
Question 9
A medication with a high volume of distribution is generally:
A. Confined primarily to plasma
B. Widely distributed into tissues
C. Unable to cross cell membranes
D. Completely eliminated by the kidneys
Correct answer: B
Rationale: A high volume of distribution suggests extensive movement from plasma into tissues
or other body compartments.
Question 10
Which plasma protein commonly binds many medications?
A. Albumin
B. Hemoglobin
C. Fibrinogen
D. Insulin
Correct answer: A
Rationale: Albumin is a major plasma protein responsible for binding many acidic and neutral
drugs.
Question 11
What is generally true of an unbound drug?
A. It cannot produce pharmacologic effects
B. It is unavailable for elimination