DHN 101 Exam 1 — Original
Practice Questions with
answers (1–100)
Section 1: Foundations of
Nutrition & Food Choices (1–25)
1. Which of the following is the best definition of an essential nutrient?
A) A nutrient found only in animal-based foods
B) A nutrient that provides more than 4 calories per gram
C) A nutrient that can be manufactured by the body in large quantities
D) A nutrient that must be obtained from food because the body cannot make it at all or in
sufficient amounts
Answer: D — Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized by the body in adequate amounts
and must come from the diet .
2. Which of the following is a micronutrient?
A) Protein
B) Fat
C) Magnesium
D) Water
Answer: C — Magnesium is a mineral required in small amounts, making it a micronutrient.
Protein, fat, and water are macronutrients .
3. A person chooses to eat an apple instead of a bag of potato chips. This is an example of
choosing a food that is:
A) Energy-dense
B) Nutrient-dense
C) Empty-calorie
D) High in saturated fat
Answer: B — Nutrient-dense foods provide a high amount of vitamins, minerals, and
phytochemicals relative to their calorie content .
4. Which factor is considered a social influence on food choices rather than a physiological
one?
A) Hunger
,B) Taste preferences
C) Family traditions
D) Blood glucose levels
Answer: C — Family traditions are external, social/environmental cues. Hunger, taste, and
blood glucose are biological factors .
5. What are the six major classes of nutrients?
A) Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water
B) Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, hormones, enzymes, and water
C) Sugars, starches, fibers, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
D) Macronutrients, micronutrients, phytochemicals, enzymes, water, and fiber
Answer: A — The six major nutrient classes are carbohydrates, fats/lipids, proteins, vitamins,
minerals, and water .
6. What is the scientific study of nutrients and how the body uses these substances?
A) Chemistry
B) Biology
C) Nutrition
D) Dietetics
Answer: C — Nutrition is the scientific study of nutrients and how the body uses them .
7. A kilocalorie (Calorie) is defined as:
A) The energy needed to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius
B) The heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water by 1 degree Celsius
C) The amount of energy in 1 gram of protein
D) The energy released by burning 1 gram of fat
Answer: B — A kilocalorie is the heat energy needed to raise 1 liter of water by 1 degree
Celsius .
8. What is the top cause of premature death related to poor dietary habits?
A) Cancer
B) Stroke
C) Heart disease
D) Diabetes
Answer: C — Heart disease is the leading cause of death related to dietary habits .
9. Which of the following describes an "empty-calorie" food?
A) Whole milk
B) Whole-grain bread
C) Grape jelly
D) Corn oil
Answer: C — Grape jelly provides calories with few nutrients, making it an empty-calorie
food .
, 10. The term "essential nutrient" means:
A) Synthesized in the body
B) Not needed daily
C) Must be obtained from diet
D) Provides no energy
Answer: C — Essential nutrients cannot be produced by the body in sufficient amounts and
must come from food .
11. Which of the following is NOT a key nutrition concept?
A) The best way for people to obtain all the essential nutrients is to consume dietary
supplements
B) Nutrition is an exact science
C) Food choices are influenced by many factors
D) Malnutrition includes both undernutrition and overnutrition
Answer: A — Dietary supplements are not the best way to obtain essential nutrients; whole
foods are preferred .
12. Which of the following websites is most likely to provide unreliable, biased nutrition
information?
A) An academic institution's website (.edu)
B) A government health agency's website (.gov)
C) A commercial website selling herbal detox teas (.com)
D) A non-profit health organization's website (.org)
Answer: C — Commercial websites selling products are more likely to provide biased
information .
13. The federal agency responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws and investigating
false advertising of dietary supplements is the:
A) USDA
B) FTC
C) CDC
D) NIH
Answer: B — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces consumer protection laws .
14. A placebo is used in nutrition research to:
A) Ensure the sample size is large enough
B) Provide a known effective treatment to all participants
C) Control for the psychological effect of receiving a treatment
D) Increase the amount of variables being studied
Answer: C — Placebos control for psychological effects in research .
15. In a randomized controlled trial testing a new weight-loss supplement, neither the
participants nor the researchers know who is receiving the actual supplement and who is
Practice Questions with
answers (1–100)
Section 1: Foundations of
Nutrition & Food Choices (1–25)
1. Which of the following is the best definition of an essential nutrient?
A) A nutrient found only in animal-based foods
B) A nutrient that provides more than 4 calories per gram
C) A nutrient that can be manufactured by the body in large quantities
D) A nutrient that must be obtained from food because the body cannot make it at all or in
sufficient amounts
Answer: D — Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized by the body in adequate amounts
and must come from the diet .
2. Which of the following is a micronutrient?
A) Protein
B) Fat
C) Magnesium
D) Water
Answer: C — Magnesium is a mineral required in small amounts, making it a micronutrient.
Protein, fat, and water are macronutrients .
3. A person chooses to eat an apple instead of a bag of potato chips. This is an example of
choosing a food that is:
A) Energy-dense
B) Nutrient-dense
C) Empty-calorie
D) High in saturated fat
Answer: B — Nutrient-dense foods provide a high amount of vitamins, minerals, and
phytochemicals relative to their calorie content .
4. Which factor is considered a social influence on food choices rather than a physiological
one?
A) Hunger
,B) Taste preferences
C) Family traditions
D) Blood glucose levels
Answer: C — Family traditions are external, social/environmental cues. Hunger, taste, and
blood glucose are biological factors .
5. What are the six major classes of nutrients?
A) Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water
B) Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, hormones, enzymes, and water
C) Sugars, starches, fibers, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
D) Macronutrients, micronutrients, phytochemicals, enzymes, water, and fiber
Answer: A — The six major nutrient classes are carbohydrates, fats/lipids, proteins, vitamins,
minerals, and water .
6. What is the scientific study of nutrients and how the body uses these substances?
A) Chemistry
B) Biology
C) Nutrition
D) Dietetics
Answer: C — Nutrition is the scientific study of nutrients and how the body uses them .
7. A kilocalorie (Calorie) is defined as:
A) The energy needed to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius
B) The heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water by 1 degree Celsius
C) The amount of energy in 1 gram of protein
D) The energy released by burning 1 gram of fat
Answer: B — A kilocalorie is the heat energy needed to raise 1 liter of water by 1 degree
Celsius .
8. What is the top cause of premature death related to poor dietary habits?
A) Cancer
B) Stroke
C) Heart disease
D) Diabetes
Answer: C — Heart disease is the leading cause of death related to dietary habits .
9. Which of the following describes an "empty-calorie" food?
A) Whole milk
B) Whole-grain bread
C) Grape jelly
D) Corn oil
Answer: C — Grape jelly provides calories with few nutrients, making it an empty-calorie
food .
, 10. The term "essential nutrient" means:
A) Synthesized in the body
B) Not needed daily
C) Must be obtained from diet
D) Provides no energy
Answer: C — Essential nutrients cannot be produced by the body in sufficient amounts and
must come from food .
11. Which of the following is NOT a key nutrition concept?
A) The best way for people to obtain all the essential nutrients is to consume dietary
supplements
B) Nutrition is an exact science
C) Food choices are influenced by many factors
D) Malnutrition includes both undernutrition and overnutrition
Answer: A — Dietary supplements are not the best way to obtain essential nutrients; whole
foods are preferred .
12. Which of the following websites is most likely to provide unreliable, biased nutrition
information?
A) An academic institution's website (.edu)
B) A government health agency's website (.gov)
C) A commercial website selling herbal detox teas (.com)
D) A non-profit health organization's website (.org)
Answer: C — Commercial websites selling products are more likely to provide biased
information .
13. The federal agency responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws and investigating
false advertising of dietary supplements is the:
A) USDA
B) FTC
C) CDC
D) NIH
Answer: B — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces consumer protection laws .
14. A placebo is used in nutrition research to:
A) Ensure the sample size is large enough
B) Provide a known effective treatment to all participants
C) Control for the psychological effect of receiving a treatment
D) Increase the amount of variables being studied
Answer: C — Placebos control for psychological effects in research .
15. In a randomized controlled trial testing a new weight-loss supplement, neither the
participants nor the researchers know who is receiving the actual supplement and who is
