60 QUESTIONS · ANSWER KEY
Pharmacology Final Examination
150 min · Pass mark 75%
Part A: Multiple Choice 25 MIN
1 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A substance is used to alter body function but is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Which
description best fits it?
A It is not a drug unless it binds to a cell surface receptor.
B It is a drug only if it reaches the systemic circulation unchanged.
C It can still be a drug because altering body function is included in the definition.
D It is a drug only if it produces a beneficial effect.
ANSWER C
WHY A drug may be used to alter body function, even when its purpose is not disease diagnosis or treatment. Its status does not depend on
absorption, receptor binding, or benefit.
2 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A researcher compares how quickly a drug is absorbed, where it distributes, how it is metabolized, and how it is
excreted over time. Which field is being studied?
A Receptor pharmacology
B Therapeutic index
C Pharmacokinetics
D Pharmacodynamics
ANSWER C
WHY Pharmacokinetics concerns the body's handling of a drug over time, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
Pharmacodynamics instead concerns drug effects and mechanisms.
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, 3 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A study investigates how a drug produces a response and how that response changes with drug concentration.
Which field most directly addresses this question?
A Pharmacodynamics
B Pharmacokinetics
C Route of administration
D Dosage determination
ANSWER A
WHY Pharmacodynamics studies drug effects, mechanisms of action, and the relationship between concentration and response. The other
choices concern movement, amount administered, or entry route.
4 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A drug binds to a specific protein on a cell and triggers a biological response. What is the bound protein called?
A A dosage
B A therapeutic index
C A metabolite
D A receptor
ANSWER D
WHY A receptor is a specific protein on or inside a cell that a drug can bind to and use to trigger a biological response. The other options do
not name the binding protein.
5 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A drug binds to a receptor and activates it, producing a response similar to that of the body's natural chemical.
How is the drug classified?
A Therapeutic index
B Antagonist
C Agonist
D Side effect
ANSWER C
WHY An agonist binds to and activates a receptor. An antagonist binds but blocks or reduces the effect of an agonist or natural chemical.
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, 6 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A drug occupies a receptor but reduces the response that would otherwise be produced by a natural chemical.
Which classification best fits?
A Drug dosage
B Antagonist
C Agonist
D Bioavailability
ANSWER B
WHY An antagonist binds to a receptor and blocks or reduces the effect of an agonist or natural chemical. Binding alone does not make a
drug an agonist; activation is required.
7 MULTIPLE CHOICE
Two patients receive different measured amounts of the same drug because their relevant patient factors differ.
Which term names the amount administered?
A Therapeutic index
B Bioavailability
C Tolerance
D Dosage
ANSWER D
WHY Dosage is the amount of a drug administered, commonly measured in milligrams or micrograms. Bioavailability and therapeutic index
describe different properties of drug exposure and safety.
8 MULTIPLE CHOICE
Drug X has a smaller ratio of toxic dose to effective dose than drug Y. What does this comparison indicate about
drug X?
A It must produce a larger response at every concentration.
B It necessarily has greater bioavailability.
C It has a narrower safety margin.
D It is more likely to cause tolerance.
ANSWER C
WHY The therapeutic index compares toxic dose with effective dose as a measure of safety margin. A smaller ratio indicates a narrower
margin, but does not establish bioavailability, response size, or tolerance.
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Pharmacology Final Examination
150 min · Pass mark 75%
Part A: Multiple Choice 25 MIN
1 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A substance is used to alter body function but is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Which
description best fits it?
A It is not a drug unless it binds to a cell surface receptor.
B It is a drug only if it reaches the systemic circulation unchanged.
C It can still be a drug because altering body function is included in the definition.
D It is a drug only if it produces a beneficial effect.
ANSWER C
WHY A drug may be used to alter body function, even when its purpose is not disease diagnosis or treatment. Its status does not depend on
absorption, receptor binding, or benefit.
2 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A researcher compares how quickly a drug is absorbed, where it distributes, how it is metabolized, and how it is
excreted over time. Which field is being studied?
A Receptor pharmacology
B Therapeutic index
C Pharmacokinetics
D Pharmacodynamics
ANSWER C
WHY Pharmacokinetics concerns the body's handling of a drug over time, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
Pharmacodynamics instead concerns drug effects and mechanisms.
1/18
, 3 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A study investigates how a drug produces a response and how that response changes with drug concentration.
Which field most directly addresses this question?
A Pharmacodynamics
B Pharmacokinetics
C Route of administration
D Dosage determination
ANSWER A
WHY Pharmacodynamics studies drug effects, mechanisms of action, and the relationship between concentration and response. The other
choices concern movement, amount administered, or entry route.
4 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A drug binds to a specific protein on a cell and triggers a biological response. What is the bound protein called?
A A dosage
B A therapeutic index
C A metabolite
D A receptor
ANSWER D
WHY A receptor is a specific protein on or inside a cell that a drug can bind to and use to trigger a biological response. The other options do
not name the binding protein.
5 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A drug binds to a receptor and activates it, producing a response similar to that of the body's natural chemical.
How is the drug classified?
A Therapeutic index
B Antagonist
C Agonist
D Side effect
ANSWER C
WHY An agonist binds to and activates a receptor. An antagonist binds but blocks or reduces the effect of an agonist or natural chemical.
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, 6 MULTIPLE CHOICE
A drug occupies a receptor but reduces the response that would otherwise be produced by a natural chemical.
Which classification best fits?
A Drug dosage
B Antagonist
C Agonist
D Bioavailability
ANSWER B
WHY An antagonist binds to a receptor and blocks or reduces the effect of an agonist or natural chemical. Binding alone does not make a
drug an agonist; activation is required.
7 MULTIPLE CHOICE
Two patients receive different measured amounts of the same drug because their relevant patient factors differ.
Which term names the amount administered?
A Therapeutic index
B Bioavailability
C Tolerance
D Dosage
ANSWER D
WHY Dosage is the amount of a drug administered, commonly measured in milligrams or micrograms. Bioavailability and therapeutic index
describe different properties of drug exposure and safety.
8 MULTIPLE CHOICE
Drug X has a smaller ratio of toxic dose to effective dose than drug Y. What does this comparison indicate about
drug X?
A It must produce a larger response at every concentration.
B It necessarily has greater bioavailability.
C It has a narrower safety margin.
D It is more likely to cause tolerance.
ANSWER C
WHY The therapeutic index compares toxic dose with effective dose as a measure of safety margin. A smaller ratio indicates a narrower
margin, but does not establish bioavailability, response size, or tolerance.
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