NUR 521 Advanced Pharmacology
– Exam 2 Study Guide | University
of Alabama | 2026–2027
200 Multiple-Choice Questions for Revision
Instructions: Each question has four options. The correct answer is marked with ✅.
Answers are intentionally mixed (not all A, B, C, or D).
Section 1: Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics
1. Which phase of pharmacokinetics involves the movement of a drug from its site
of administration into the bloodstream?
A. Distribution
B. Metabolism
C. Absorption ✅
D. Excretion
2. What is the primary organ responsible for drug metabolism?
A. Kidneys
B. Liver ✅
C. Lungs
D. Spleen
3. Which term describes the proportion of a drug that reaches systemic circulation
unchanged?
,A. Bioavailability ✅
B. Half-life
C. Clearance
D. Volume of distribution
4. A drug with a narrow therapeutic index requires:
A. No monitoring
B. Therapeutic drug monitoring ✅
C. Higher doses
D. Faster infusion rates
5. Which enzyme system is most involved in phase I drug metabolism?
A. CYP450 ✅
B. Glucuronyl transferase
C. Sulfotransferase
D. Acetyltransferase
6. What does a drug's half-life (t½) represent?
A. Time to reach peak concentration
B. Time for drug concentration to decrease by 50% ✅
C. Time for complete elimination
D. Time to onset of action
7. Which route of administration has 100% bioavailability?
A. Oral
B. Intramuscular
C. Intravenous ✅
D. Subcutaneous
8. First-pass metabolism primarily affects drugs administered:
,A. Intravenously
B. Orally ✅
C. Rectally
D. Transdermally
9. Which of the following is a pharmacodynamic property?
A. Absorption
B. Distribution
C. Receptor affinity ✅
D. Excretion
10. A competitive antagonist:
A. Binds to a different site than the agonist
B. Binds reversibly to the same receptor as the agonist ✅
C. Permanently inactivates the receptor
D. Increases agonist effect
11. Which term describes the maximum effect a drug can produce?
A. Potency
B. Efficacy ✅
C. Affinity
D. Selectivity
12. Loading dose is calculated based on:
A. Clearance
B. Volume of distribution ✅
C. Half-life
D. Bioavailability
13. Which factor most significantly affects drug distribution?
, A. Protein binding ✅
B. Renal function
C. Hepatic function
D. GI motility
14. A prodrug requires:
A. Excretion before action
B. Metabolic activation ✅
C. Protein binding
D. Renal clearance
15. Which pharmacokinetic parameter determines the maintenance dose?
A. Volume of distribution
B. Clearance ✅
C. Half-life
D. Bioavailability
16. Steady-state concentration is achieved after approximately:
A. 1 half-life
B. 2 half-lives
C. 4–5 half-lives ✅
D. 10 half-lives
17. Which of the following describes zero-order kinetics?
A. Constant fraction of drug eliminated per unit time
B. Constant amount of drug eliminated per unit time ✅
C. Rate depends on concentration
D. Exponential decay
18. Which organ is primarily responsible for drug excretion?
– Exam 2 Study Guide | University
of Alabama | 2026–2027
200 Multiple-Choice Questions for Revision
Instructions: Each question has four options. The correct answer is marked with ✅.
Answers are intentionally mixed (not all A, B, C, or D).
Section 1: Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics
1. Which phase of pharmacokinetics involves the movement of a drug from its site
of administration into the bloodstream?
A. Distribution
B. Metabolism
C. Absorption ✅
D. Excretion
2. What is the primary organ responsible for drug metabolism?
A. Kidneys
B. Liver ✅
C. Lungs
D. Spleen
3. Which term describes the proportion of a drug that reaches systemic circulation
unchanged?
,A. Bioavailability ✅
B. Half-life
C. Clearance
D. Volume of distribution
4. A drug with a narrow therapeutic index requires:
A. No monitoring
B. Therapeutic drug monitoring ✅
C. Higher doses
D. Faster infusion rates
5. Which enzyme system is most involved in phase I drug metabolism?
A. CYP450 ✅
B. Glucuronyl transferase
C. Sulfotransferase
D. Acetyltransferase
6. What does a drug's half-life (t½) represent?
A. Time to reach peak concentration
B. Time for drug concentration to decrease by 50% ✅
C. Time for complete elimination
D. Time to onset of action
7. Which route of administration has 100% bioavailability?
A. Oral
B. Intramuscular
C. Intravenous ✅
D. Subcutaneous
8. First-pass metabolism primarily affects drugs administered:
,A. Intravenously
B. Orally ✅
C. Rectally
D. Transdermally
9. Which of the following is a pharmacodynamic property?
A. Absorption
B. Distribution
C. Receptor affinity ✅
D. Excretion
10. A competitive antagonist:
A. Binds to a different site than the agonist
B. Binds reversibly to the same receptor as the agonist ✅
C. Permanently inactivates the receptor
D. Increases agonist effect
11. Which term describes the maximum effect a drug can produce?
A. Potency
B. Efficacy ✅
C. Affinity
D. Selectivity
12. Loading dose is calculated based on:
A. Clearance
B. Volume of distribution ✅
C. Half-life
D. Bioavailability
13. Which factor most significantly affects drug distribution?
, A. Protein binding ✅
B. Renal function
C. Hepatic function
D. GI motility
14. A prodrug requires:
A. Excretion before action
B. Metabolic activation ✅
C. Protein binding
D. Renal clearance
15. Which pharmacokinetic parameter determines the maintenance dose?
A. Volume of distribution
B. Clearance ✅
C. Half-life
D. Bioavailability
16. Steady-state concentration is achieved after approximately:
A. 1 half-life
B. 2 half-lives
C. 4–5 half-lives ✅
D. 10 half-lives
17. Which of the following describes zero-order kinetics?
A. Constant fraction of drug eliminated per unit time
B. Constant amount of drug eliminated per unit time ✅
C. Rate depends on concentration
D. Exponential decay
18. Which organ is primarily responsible for drug excretion?
