NURS 5663 Pharm Weekly Quizzes | Week 1-6
| Questions and Answers with Rationales |
2026 Updated | 100% Correct - TWU.
NURS 5663 Weekly Practice Quiz (Weeks 1–6)
Week 1: Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics
Q1. What are the four primary phases of pharmacokinetics?
• A) Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion
• B) Agonism, Antagonism, Potentiation, Inhibition
• C) Uptake, Binding, Signaling, Clearance
• D) Ingestion, Transport, Breakdown, Elimination
Correct: A. Pharmacokinetics describes what the body does to a drug across four
sequential phases: absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion .
Q2. A provider prescribes an oral medication with a substantial first-pass effect.
What is the clinical implication?
• A) The drug will achieve higher bioavailability than IV administration
• B) A significant fraction is metabolized by liver enzymes before reaching
systemic circulation
• C) The drug will bypass the liver entirely via the lymphatic system
• D) Protein binding will be negligible
Correct: B. Orally administered drugs enter portal circulation and pass through the
liver before reaching systemic targets. High first-pass metabolism lowers oral
bioavailability .
, Q3. How do lipid-soluble drugs behave differently from water-soluble drugs
regarding tissue distribution?
• A) Lipid-soluble drugs cannot cross the blood-brain barrier
• B) Lipid-soluble drugs readily cross cellular membranes, including the BBB
and placenta
• C) Water-soluble drugs distribute more widely into adipose tissue
• D) Water-soluble drugs require active transport for all cellular uptake
Correct: B. Cellular membranes are lipid bilayers. Non-ionized, lipophilic drugs
diffuse across these membranes much faster than polar, water-soluble drugs .
Q4. A patient with severe hypoalbuminemia receives a highly albumin-bound
drug. What effect is possible?
• A) Lower free drug concentration
• B) Higher free drug concentration
• C) No pharmacologic change
• D) Guaranteed faster absorption
Correct: B. Low albumin means fewer protein-binding sites, increasing the
unbound (active) fraction of highly protein-bound drugs and raising toxicity risk .
Q5. Which age group generally has the greatest concern for reduced renal
clearance due to physiologic decline?
• A) School-age children
• B) Newborns
• C) Older adults
• D) Healthy young adults
Correct: C. Older adults experience age-related declines in renal function,
reducing drug clearance and increasing risk of accumulation .
| Questions and Answers with Rationales |
2026 Updated | 100% Correct - TWU.
NURS 5663 Weekly Practice Quiz (Weeks 1–6)
Week 1: Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics
Q1. What are the four primary phases of pharmacokinetics?
• A) Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion
• B) Agonism, Antagonism, Potentiation, Inhibition
• C) Uptake, Binding, Signaling, Clearance
• D) Ingestion, Transport, Breakdown, Elimination
Correct: A. Pharmacokinetics describes what the body does to a drug across four
sequential phases: absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion .
Q2. A provider prescribes an oral medication with a substantial first-pass effect.
What is the clinical implication?
• A) The drug will achieve higher bioavailability than IV administration
• B) A significant fraction is metabolized by liver enzymes before reaching
systemic circulation
• C) The drug will bypass the liver entirely via the lymphatic system
• D) Protein binding will be negligible
Correct: B. Orally administered drugs enter portal circulation and pass through the
liver before reaching systemic targets. High first-pass metabolism lowers oral
bioavailability .
, Q3. How do lipid-soluble drugs behave differently from water-soluble drugs
regarding tissue distribution?
• A) Lipid-soluble drugs cannot cross the blood-brain barrier
• B) Lipid-soluble drugs readily cross cellular membranes, including the BBB
and placenta
• C) Water-soluble drugs distribute more widely into adipose tissue
• D) Water-soluble drugs require active transport for all cellular uptake
Correct: B. Cellular membranes are lipid bilayers. Non-ionized, lipophilic drugs
diffuse across these membranes much faster than polar, water-soluble drugs .
Q4. A patient with severe hypoalbuminemia receives a highly albumin-bound
drug. What effect is possible?
• A) Lower free drug concentration
• B) Higher free drug concentration
• C) No pharmacologic change
• D) Guaranteed faster absorption
Correct: B. Low albumin means fewer protein-binding sites, increasing the
unbound (active) fraction of highly protein-bound drugs and raising toxicity risk .
Q5. Which age group generally has the greatest concern for reduced renal
clearance due to physiologic decline?
• A) School-age children
• B) Newborns
• C) Older adults
• D) Healthy young adults
Correct: C. Older adults experience age-related declines in renal function,
reducing drug clearance and increasing risk of accumulation .
