NRG 200 PHARMACOLOGY FOR HUMAN
CARING NURSING – ENDTERM QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALES
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONAL PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACOKINETICS
(Questions 1–50)
1. A nurse is teaching a patient about a new prescription. Which statement by
the patient indicates understanding of pharmacokinetics?
A) "The medicine will work differently depending on my age and liver
function."
B) "The color of the pill determines how fast it works."
C) "I should always take my medicine with food."
D) "The cost of the medicine determines its effectiveness."
Answer: A
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics involves how the body absorbs, distributes,
metabolizes, and excretes drugs. Age and liver function directly affect drug
metabolism.
2. What is the term for the study of how drugs move through the body
(absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion)?
,A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacokinetics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Pharmacogenomics
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics describes drug movement through the body.
Pharmacodynamics (A) is what the drug does to the body.
3. Which route of administration has the fastest onset of action?
A) Oral
B) Subcutaneous
C) Intravenous (IV)
D) Intramuscular (IM)
Answer: C
Rationale: IV administration delivers the drug directly into the bloodstream,
providing immediate onset. Oral (A) is slowest due to digestion and
absorption.
4. The first pass effect refers to:
A) Drug excretion through the kidneys
B) Drug metabolism in the liver before reaching systemic circulation
C) Drug binding to plasma proteins
D) Drug crossing the blood brain barrier
,Answer: B
Rationale: Oral drugs are absorbed from the gut and travel via the portal vein
to the liver, where they may be metabolized before reaching the rest of the
body.
5. A drug with a narrow therapeutic index means:
A) It is very safe
B) The difference between therapeutic and toxic doses is small
C) It has no side effects
D) It requires no monitoring
Answer: B
Rationale: Narrow therapeutic index drugs (e.g., digoxin, warfarin, lithium)
require careful monitoring because toxic levels are close to therapeutic levels.
6. Halflife is defined as:
A) The time it takes for a drug to reach peak effect
B) The time it takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body
C) The time it takes for a drug to be absorbed
D) The duration of a drug's therapeutic effect
Answer: B
Rationale: Halflife determines dosing frequency. Drugs with short halflives
require more frequent dosing; long halflives allow once daily dosing.
7. Which patient factor most significantly affects drug metabolism?
, A) Gender
B) Liver function
C) Eye colour
D) Height
Answer: B
Rationale: The liver is the primary site of drug metabolism. Liver disease
(cirrhosis, hepatitis) can significantly reduce metabolism, leading to drug
toxicity.
8. A patient asks the nurse what it means for a drug to have a "narrow
therapeutic index." Which response is correct?
A) "The drug is very safe and rarely causes side effects."
B) "There is a small range between an effective dose and a toxic dose."
C) "The drug must be taken with food to be effective."
D) "The drug only works for a short period of time."
Answer: B
Rationale: A narrow therapeutic index means the margin of safety is small;
small increases in dose can cause toxicity.
9. Agonist drugs work by:
A) Blocking receptors
B) Activating receptors to produce a response
C) Having no effect on receptors
D) Decreasing the number of receptors
CARING NURSING – ENDTERM QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALES
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONAL PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACOKINETICS
(Questions 1–50)
1. A nurse is teaching a patient about a new prescription. Which statement by
the patient indicates understanding of pharmacokinetics?
A) "The medicine will work differently depending on my age and liver
function."
B) "The color of the pill determines how fast it works."
C) "I should always take my medicine with food."
D) "The cost of the medicine determines its effectiveness."
Answer: A
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics involves how the body absorbs, distributes,
metabolizes, and excretes drugs. Age and liver function directly affect drug
metabolism.
2. What is the term for the study of how drugs move through the body
(absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion)?
,A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacokinetics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Pharmacogenomics
Answer: B
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics describes drug movement through the body.
Pharmacodynamics (A) is what the drug does to the body.
3. Which route of administration has the fastest onset of action?
A) Oral
B) Subcutaneous
C) Intravenous (IV)
D) Intramuscular (IM)
Answer: C
Rationale: IV administration delivers the drug directly into the bloodstream,
providing immediate onset. Oral (A) is slowest due to digestion and
absorption.
4. The first pass effect refers to:
A) Drug excretion through the kidneys
B) Drug metabolism in the liver before reaching systemic circulation
C) Drug binding to plasma proteins
D) Drug crossing the blood brain barrier
,Answer: B
Rationale: Oral drugs are absorbed from the gut and travel via the portal vein
to the liver, where they may be metabolized before reaching the rest of the
body.
5. A drug with a narrow therapeutic index means:
A) It is very safe
B) The difference between therapeutic and toxic doses is small
C) It has no side effects
D) It requires no monitoring
Answer: B
Rationale: Narrow therapeutic index drugs (e.g., digoxin, warfarin, lithium)
require careful monitoring because toxic levels are close to therapeutic levels.
6. Halflife is defined as:
A) The time it takes for a drug to reach peak effect
B) The time it takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body
C) The time it takes for a drug to be absorbed
D) The duration of a drug's therapeutic effect
Answer: B
Rationale: Halflife determines dosing frequency. Drugs with short halflives
require more frequent dosing; long halflives allow once daily dosing.
7. Which patient factor most significantly affects drug metabolism?
, A) Gender
B) Liver function
C) Eye colour
D) Height
Answer: B
Rationale: The liver is the primary site of drug metabolism. Liver disease
(cirrhosis, hepatitis) can significantly reduce metabolism, leading to drug
toxicity.
8. A patient asks the nurse what it means for a drug to have a "narrow
therapeutic index." Which response is correct?
A) "The drug is very safe and rarely causes side effects."
B) "There is a small range between an effective dose and a toxic dose."
C) "The drug must be taken with food to be effective."
D) "The drug only works for a short period of time."
Answer: B
Rationale: A narrow therapeutic index means the margin of safety is small;
small increases in dose can cause toxicity.
9. Agonist drugs work by:
A) Blocking receptors
B) Activating receptors to produce a response
C) Having no effect on receptors
D) Decreasing the number of receptors
