Test Bank –
Drug Therapy in Nursing,
By Aschenbrenner
4th edition
,Original Practice Test Bank: Drug
Therapy in Nursing Topics
CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Pharmacology and Drug Therapy
1. A nursing student asks the instructor to define pharmacology. Which response
is most accurate?
A) The study of how drugs are manufactured
B) The study of drugs and their interactions with living systems
C) The study of drug costs and insurance coverage
D) The study of herbal remedies only
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacology is broadly defined as the study of drugs and their interactions
with living organisms, including their effects, mechanisms, and uses. Options A, C, and D
describe only narrow aspects or unrelated fields.
2. Which branch of pharmacology specifically deals with the use of drugs in the
treatment of disease?
A) Pharmacokinetics
B) Pharmacodynamics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Toxicology
Answer: C
Rationale: Pharmacotherapeutics is the branch of pharmacology concerned with the
use of drugs to treat, prevent, or diagnose disease. Pharmacokinetics deals with drug
movement in the body, pharmacodynamics with drug effects on the body, and
toxicology with harmful effects.
3. A patient asks why a medication is classified as "prescription" rather than "over-
the-counter." The nurse's best response is:
A) "Prescription drugs are always stronger than OTC drugs."
B) "Prescription drugs require a healthcare provider's order because of their potential for
harm if used incorrectly."
,C) "OTC drugs are less effective than prescription drugs."
D) "Prescription drugs are newer than OTC drugs."
Answer: B
Rationale: Prescription drugs require a licensed provider's order because they carry
greater risks of adverse effects, toxicity, or misuse and require professional monitoring.
Strength, effectiveness, and age of the drug are not the determining factors.
4. Which of the following best describes a drug's "generic name"?
A) The name assigned by the manufacturing company for marketing
B) The official nonproprietary name assigned by a recognized body such as the USAN
Council
C) The chemical formula of the drug
D) The brand name used in advertising
Answer: B
Rationale: The generic (nonproprietary) name is the official name assigned by a
recognized naming body (e.g., USAN Council). The brand/trade name is assigned by the
manufacturer. The chemical name describes the molecular structure.
5. A nurse is administering a medication and notes it is a "prototype" drug. What
does this mean?
A) It is an experimental drug not yet approved by the FDA
B) It is the first drug developed in a class and serves as the standard for comparison
C) It is a generic version of a brand-name drug
D) It is a drug that has been recalled
Answer: B
Rationale: A prototype drug is the first or most representative drug in a particular class,
used as the standard against which other drugs in the same class are compared for
efficacy and safety.
6. The nurse understands that the Orphan Drug Act was designed to:
A) Regulate the pricing of all prescription medications
B) Provide incentives for the development of drugs to treat rare diseases
, C) Ban the use of certain drugs in pediatric populations
D) Require all drugs to have generic equivalents
Answer: B
Rationale: The Orphan Drug Act of 1983 provides financial incentives (tax credits,
market exclusivity) to pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments for rare diseases
affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S.
7. Which schedule of controlled substances has the highest potential for abuse and
no currently accepted medical use in the United States?
A) Schedule II
B) Schedule III
C) Schedule I
D) Schedule IV
Answer: C
Rationale: Schedule I substances (e.g., heroin, LSD) have the highest abuse potential
and no accepted medical use in the U.S. Schedule II drugs have high abuse potential but
do have accepted medical uses (e.g., morphine, oxycodone).
8. A patient is concerned about taking a "black box warning" medication. The
nurse explains that a black box warning indicates:
A) The drug is available only in hospital settings
B) The drug has been associated with serious or life-threatening adverse effects
C) The drug is no longer under patent protection
D) The drug must be stored in a dark container
Answer: B
Rationale: A black box warning is the FDA's most serious warning, placed on drug
labeling to alert prescribers and patients to potentially life-threatening or serious
adverse effects associated with the drug.
9. When a drug is described as having a "narrow therapeutic index," the nurse
understands this means:
A) The drug is effective only in narrow blood vessels
B) There is a small difference between the therapeutic dose and the toxic dose
Drug Therapy in Nursing,
By Aschenbrenner
4th edition
,Original Practice Test Bank: Drug
Therapy in Nursing Topics
CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Pharmacology and Drug Therapy
1. A nursing student asks the instructor to define pharmacology. Which response
is most accurate?
A) The study of how drugs are manufactured
B) The study of drugs and their interactions with living systems
C) The study of drug costs and insurance coverage
D) The study of herbal remedies only
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacology is broadly defined as the study of drugs and their interactions
with living organisms, including their effects, mechanisms, and uses. Options A, C, and D
describe only narrow aspects or unrelated fields.
2. Which branch of pharmacology specifically deals with the use of drugs in the
treatment of disease?
A) Pharmacokinetics
B) Pharmacodynamics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Toxicology
Answer: C
Rationale: Pharmacotherapeutics is the branch of pharmacology concerned with the
use of drugs to treat, prevent, or diagnose disease. Pharmacokinetics deals with drug
movement in the body, pharmacodynamics with drug effects on the body, and
toxicology with harmful effects.
3. A patient asks why a medication is classified as "prescription" rather than "over-
the-counter." The nurse's best response is:
A) "Prescription drugs are always stronger than OTC drugs."
B) "Prescription drugs require a healthcare provider's order because of their potential for
harm if used incorrectly."
,C) "OTC drugs are less effective than prescription drugs."
D) "Prescription drugs are newer than OTC drugs."
Answer: B
Rationale: Prescription drugs require a licensed provider's order because they carry
greater risks of adverse effects, toxicity, or misuse and require professional monitoring.
Strength, effectiveness, and age of the drug are not the determining factors.
4. Which of the following best describes a drug's "generic name"?
A) The name assigned by the manufacturing company for marketing
B) The official nonproprietary name assigned by a recognized body such as the USAN
Council
C) The chemical formula of the drug
D) The brand name used in advertising
Answer: B
Rationale: The generic (nonproprietary) name is the official name assigned by a
recognized naming body (e.g., USAN Council). The brand/trade name is assigned by the
manufacturer. The chemical name describes the molecular structure.
5. A nurse is administering a medication and notes it is a "prototype" drug. What
does this mean?
A) It is an experimental drug not yet approved by the FDA
B) It is the first drug developed in a class and serves as the standard for comparison
C) It is a generic version of a brand-name drug
D) It is a drug that has been recalled
Answer: B
Rationale: A prototype drug is the first or most representative drug in a particular class,
used as the standard against which other drugs in the same class are compared for
efficacy and safety.
6. The nurse understands that the Orphan Drug Act was designed to:
A) Regulate the pricing of all prescription medications
B) Provide incentives for the development of drugs to treat rare diseases
, C) Ban the use of certain drugs in pediatric populations
D) Require all drugs to have generic equivalents
Answer: B
Rationale: The Orphan Drug Act of 1983 provides financial incentives (tax credits,
market exclusivity) to pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments for rare diseases
affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S.
7. Which schedule of controlled substances has the highest potential for abuse and
no currently accepted medical use in the United States?
A) Schedule II
B) Schedule III
C) Schedule I
D) Schedule IV
Answer: C
Rationale: Schedule I substances (e.g., heroin, LSD) have the highest abuse potential
and no accepted medical use in the U.S. Schedule II drugs have high abuse potential but
do have accepted medical uses (e.g., morphine, oxycodone).
8. A patient is concerned about taking a "black box warning" medication. The
nurse explains that a black box warning indicates:
A) The drug is available only in hospital settings
B) The drug has been associated with serious or life-threatening adverse effects
C) The drug is no longer under patent protection
D) The drug must be stored in a dark container
Answer: B
Rationale: A black box warning is the FDA's most serious warning, placed on drug
labeling to alert prescribers and patients to potentially life-threatening or serious
adverse effects associated with the drug.
9. When a drug is described as having a "narrow therapeutic index," the nurse
understands this means:
A) The drug is effective only in narrow blood vessels
B) There is a small difference between the therapeutic dose and the toxic dose
