NUR 6011 Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam Questions and Answers
Latest 2026/27 Guide Update - WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
Week 1:
What is true about competitive inhibitors?
They promote the binding of an agonist at an active site.
They bind to a different place on the same molecule.
Competitive and allosteric inhibitors act at the same place of the molecule.
*They act at the same site as the drug.
They are less effective than agonists.
Which term describes the ability of a drug to activate a biological effect?
Affinity
#Agonism
Efficacy
Potency
Incidence
What best describes the selectivity of a drug?
The effect of multiple drugs
The ability to activate the mechanisms to cause a biological effect
The strength of the bond between a drug and a receptor
#The proportion of preference a receptor has for a drug
Which statement most accurately describes a drug with high efficacy and high potency?
#It requires only a small dose to exert a significant effect.
It requires a large dose to exert a significant effect.
Even a large dose will not cause a significant effect.
The maximum dose does not cause a significant effect.
No dose change will lead to a change in the clinical effect.
If a patient starts taking Drug A with a Kd of 100 nM (nanomolar) and then switches to Drug B
with a Kd of 100 µM (micromolar), and both drugs target the same receptor, which of the
following statements is true?
#The binding affinity of Drug A is much higher than the binding affinity of Drug B.
The binding affinities of the two drugs are not different.
More people in a population will respond to Drug A than to Drug B.
Drug B has higher efficacy.
The toxicity of Drug A is much higher than the toxicity of Drug B.
NUR 6011 Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam
, what best describes EC50?
The effective concentration of a drug that produces 50% of the minimum effect.
#The effective concentration of a drug produces 50% of the maximal effect.
The dose required to get 50% of the population reporting toxic side effects.
The dose required to achieve 50% mortality from toxicity.
The dose that is required to achieve 50% of the desired response in 50% of the population.
A patient is being treated for depression with a specific medication. The pharmacokinetic profile
of this medication reveals a dissociation constant (Kd) of 344 pg/mL and an effective dose for
50% of the population (ED50) of 200 pg/mL. What can be inferred from these pharmacokinetic
parameters?
The medication is likely to cause severe side effects due to high potency.
The drug's high Kd value indicates it has a very high binding affinity.
#The presence of spare receptors can be inferred from these values.
An ED50 lower than Kd suggests the drug is ineffective.
The drug requires full receptor saturation to be effective, as indicated by the Kd and ED50
values.
Which of the following drug characteristics makes a drug more likely to enter a cell through a
protein channel?
#Water solubility
Basophilic property
Acidophilic property
Neutrality
Fat solubility
How does the lipophilicity of a drug affect its efficacy?
A lower lipophilicity leads to a higher rate of absorption into the circulatory system.
A higher lipophilicity leads to a lower membrane permeability of the drug.
A lower lipophilicity leads to a higher rate of desorption into the food.
A higher lipophilicity leads to a lower metabolic clearance of the drug.
#A higher lipophilicity leads to a higher membrane permeability and metabolic clearance of
the drug.
What is the main reason behind limited bioavailability of benzylpenicillin?
The beta-lactam ring of benzylpenicillin is highly prone to alkali catalyzed intramolecular
hydrolysis.
The beta-lactam ring of benzylpenicillin is highly prone to alkali catalyzed intermolecular
hydrolysis.
#The beta-lactam ring of benzylpenicillin is highly prone to acid catalyzed intramolecular
hydrolysis.
NUR 6011 Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam
, The beta-lactam ring of benzylpenicillin is highly prone to acid catalyzed intermolecular
hydrolysis.
The acetylation of the hydroxyl groups of codeine does which of the following?
#It masks the polar nature and enhances the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
It exposes the polar nature and enhances the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
It masks the lipophilic nature and enhances the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
It masks the neutral nature and enhances the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
It masks the lipophilic nature and suppresses the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
What is most likely to increase an activator's (i.e. an agonist's ) efficacy?
#Allosteric agonist
None
Allosteric inhibitor
Competitive inhibitor
Negative allosteric modulator
Which receptor type typically functions using cAMP as a mediator?
Ion channel
Steroid receptor
Transmembrane protein
#G-protein coupled receptor
Tyrosine kinase receptor
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
The introduction of a polar group reduces the lipophilicity of the drug and renders it less
prone to metabolism.
#If given in its unaltered form as an oral medication, tetracycline will effectively interfere with
the protein biosynthesis process in eukaryotic cells.
Enzymes like esterase or phosphatase play a significant role in the conversion of a prodrug
into an active form.
The conversion of tetracycline into chlortetracycline leads to enhanced absorption and
bioavailability.
The phosphate group in the molecular structure of “Fosamprenavir” enhances the aqueous
solubility and greater bioavailability during anti-viral therapy.
To cross the blood-brain barrier, a drug molecule should possess which of the following
characteristics?
Highly hydrophilic with high molecular mass
Neutral with high molecular mass
Highly hydrophilic with small molecular mass
#Highly lipophilic with small molecular mass
NUR 6011 Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam
, Highly lipophilic with high molecular mass
What is the definition of pharmacodynamics?
#The effect of drugs on the body
The movement of a drug through the body
The biggest effect of a medication
Strength of attraction of a medication to a cell
In pharmacodynamics, what term is defined as the biggest effect that a medication can have
in the body?
Potent drug
Receptor binding
Affinity
#Maximal efficacy
What type of substances can act as agonists or antagonists? Select all that apply.
#Neurotransmitters
#Hormones
Receptors
Target cells
#Drugs
What effect does an antagonist drug have over the receptors?
Increases the heart rate
#Causes the associated cellular process to be blocked
Stimulates bronchodilation in the lungs
Causes the associated cellular process to be activated
What is the antagonist of choice to counteract the action of opioid receptor agonists?
#Naloxone
Morphine
Endorphin
Flumazenil
Which natural agonists have similar effects to morphine by activating the opioid receptors?
Norepinephrine
Fentanyl
Epinephrine
#Endorphins
NUR 6011 Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam
Latest 2026/27 Guide Update - WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
Week 1:
What is true about competitive inhibitors?
They promote the binding of an agonist at an active site.
They bind to a different place on the same molecule.
Competitive and allosteric inhibitors act at the same place of the molecule.
*They act at the same site as the drug.
They are less effective than agonists.
Which term describes the ability of a drug to activate a biological effect?
Affinity
#Agonism
Efficacy
Potency
Incidence
What best describes the selectivity of a drug?
The effect of multiple drugs
The ability to activate the mechanisms to cause a biological effect
The strength of the bond between a drug and a receptor
#The proportion of preference a receptor has for a drug
Which statement most accurately describes a drug with high efficacy and high potency?
#It requires only a small dose to exert a significant effect.
It requires a large dose to exert a significant effect.
Even a large dose will not cause a significant effect.
The maximum dose does not cause a significant effect.
No dose change will lead to a change in the clinical effect.
If a patient starts taking Drug A with a Kd of 100 nM (nanomolar) and then switches to Drug B
with a Kd of 100 µM (micromolar), and both drugs target the same receptor, which of the
following statements is true?
#The binding affinity of Drug A is much higher than the binding affinity of Drug B.
The binding affinities of the two drugs are not different.
More people in a population will respond to Drug A than to Drug B.
Drug B has higher efficacy.
The toxicity of Drug A is much higher than the toxicity of Drug B.
NUR 6011 Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam
, what best describes EC50?
The effective concentration of a drug that produces 50% of the minimum effect.
#The effective concentration of a drug produces 50% of the maximal effect.
The dose required to get 50% of the population reporting toxic side effects.
The dose required to achieve 50% mortality from toxicity.
The dose that is required to achieve 50% of the desired response in 50% of the population.
A patient is being treated for depression with a specific medication. The pharmacokinetic profile
of this medication reveals a dissociation constant (Kd) of 344 pg/mL and an effective dose for
50% of the population (ED50) of 200 pg/mL. What can be inferred from these pharmacokinetic
parameters?
The medication is likely to cause severe side effects due to high potency.
The drug's high Kd value indicates it has a very high binding affinity.
#The presence of spare receptors can be inferred from these values.
An ED50 lower than Kd suggests the drug is ineffective.
The drug requires full receptor saturation to be effective, as indicated by the Kd and ED50
values.
Which of the following drug characteristics makes a drug more likely to enter a cell through a
protein channel?
#Water solubility
Basophilic property
Acidophilic property
Neutrality
Fat solubility
How does the lipophilicity of a drug affect its efficacy?
A lower lipophilicity leads to a higher rate of absorption into the circulatory system.
A higher lipophilicity leads to a lower membrane permeability of the drug.
A lower lipophilicity leads to a higher rate of desorption into the food.
A higher lipophilicity leads to a lower metabolic clearance of the drug.
#A higher lipophilicity leads to a higher membrane permeability and metabolic clearance of
the drug.
What is the main reason behind limited bioavailability of benzylpenicillin?
The beta-lactam ring of benzylpenicillin is highly prone to alkali catalyzed intramolecular
hydrolysis.
The beta-lactam ring of benzylpenicillin is highly prone to alkali catalyzed intermolecular
hydrolysis.
#The beta-lactam ring of benzylpenicillin is highly prone to acid catalyzed intramolecular
hydrolysis.
NUR 6011 Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam
, The beta-lactam ring of benzylpenicillin is highly prone to acid catalyzed intermolecular
hydrolysis.
The acetylation of the hydroxyl groups of codeine does which of the following?
#It masks the polar nature and enhances the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
It exposes the polar nature and enhances the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
It masks the lipophilic nature and enhances the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
It masks the neutral nature and enhances the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
It masks the lipophilic nature and suppresses the BBB crossing capabilities of codeine.
What is most likely to increase an activator's (i.e. an agonist's ) efficacy?
#Allosteric agonist
None
Allosteric inhibitor
Competitive inhibitor
Negative allosteric modulator
Which receptor type typically functions using cAMP as a mediator?
Ion channel
Steroid receptor
Transmembrane protein
#G-protein coupled receptor
Tyrosine kinase receptor
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
The introduction of a polar group reduces the lipophilicity of the drug and renders it less
prone to metabolism.
#If given in its unaltered form as an oral medication, tetracycline will effectively interfere with
the protein biosynthesis process in eukaryotic cells.
Enzymes like esterase or phosphatase play a significant role in the conversion of a prodrug
into an active form.
The conversion of tetracycline into chlortetracycline leads to enhanced absorption and
bioavailability.
The phosphate group in the molecular structure of “Fosamprenavir” enhances the aqueous
solubility and greater bioavailability during anti-viral therapy.
To cross the blood-brain barrier, a drug molecule should possess which of the following
characteristics?
Highly hydrophilic with high molecular mass
Neutral with high molecular mass
Highly hydrophilic with small molecular mass
#Highly lipophilic with small molecular mass
NUR 6011 Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam
, Highly lipophilic with high molecular mass
What is the definition of pharmacodynamics?
#The effect of drugs on the body
The movement of a drug through the body
The biggest effect of a medication
Strength of attraction of a medication to a cell
In pharmacodynamics, what term is defined as the biggest effect that a medication can have
in the body?
Potent drug
Receptor binding
Affinity
#Maximal efficacy
What type of substances can act as agonists or antagonists? Select all that apply.
#Neurotransmitters
#Hormones
Receptors
Target cells
#Drugs
What effect does an antagonist drug have over the receptors?
Increases the heart rate
#Causes the associated cellular process to be blocked
Stimulates bronchodilation in the lungs
Causes the associated cellular process to be activated
What is the antagonist of choice to counteract the action of opioid receptor agonists?
#Naloxone
Morphine
Endorphin
Flumazenil
Which natural agonists have similar effects to morphine by activating the opioid receptors?
Norepinephrine
Fentanyl
Epinephrine
#Endorphins
NUR 6011 Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam
