NUR 210 Midterm Exam Actual Questions
and Correct Answers (Verified Answers)
Already Graded A+ | New Update 2026/2027
Question 1
Which term best describes "what the body does to the drug"?
A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacotherapeutics
C) Pharmacokinetics
D) Toxicology
Correct Answer: C) Pharmacokinetics
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics is the study of drug movement through the body,
encompassing absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).
Pharmacodynamics, in contrast, is "what the drug does to the body."
Question 2
What are the four phases of pharmacokinetics?
A) Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion
B) Action, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion
C) Absorption, Digestion, Metabolism, Elimination
D) Action, Digestion, Metabolism, Excretion
Correct Answer: A) Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion
Rationale: The four phases of pharmacokinetics are Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism,
and Excretion (ADME).
Question 3
The pharmaceutical phase of drug action involves:
,A) Absorption of the drug into the bloodstream
B) Dissolution of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract
C) Distribution of the drug to target tissues
D) Excretion of the drug via the kidneys
Correct Answer: B) Dissolution of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract
Rationale: The pharmaceutical phase is the first phase of drug action, where the solid drug
must dissolve into a liquid so it can be absorbed. Most oral absorption occurs in the small
intestine.
Question 4
A drug that binds to a receptor and produces a biological response is called a(n):
A) Antagonist
B) Agonist
C) Partial agonist
D) Competitive antagonist
Correct Answer: B) Agonist
Rationale: An agonist activates a receptor and produces a biological response. An
antagonist blocks the receptor and produces no response.
Question 5
A drug that binds to a receptor but produces no response is called a(n):
A) Agonist
B) Partial agonist
C) Antagonist
D) Inverse agonist
Correct Answer: C) Antagonist
Rationale: An antagonist blocks the receptor and produces no response. It prevents other
substances from binding and activating the receptor.
,Question 6
A patient asks the nurse, "What does 'first-pass effect' mean?" The best response is:
A) "The drug is absorbed faster when taken on an empty stomach."
B) "The drug is metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic circulation, reducing its
bioavailability."
C) "The drug is excreted unchanged by the kidneys."
D) "The drug binds to plasma proteins and becomes inactive."
Correct Answer: B) "The drug is metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic
circulation, reducing its bioavailability."
Rationale: First-pass effect refers to the metabolism of an oral drug by the liver before it
reaches systemic circulation, which reduces the amount of active drug available.
Question 7
A medication given by which route has 100% bioavailability?
A) Oral
B) Sublingual
C) Intravenous
D) Intramuscular
Correct Answer: C) Intravenous
Rationale: Intravenous administration places the drug directly into the bloodstream,
bypassing absorption and first-pass metabolism, resulting in 100% bioavailability.
Question 8
What is polypharmacy?
A) Use of multiple medications (more than 5)
B) Use of a single medication
C) Use of over-the-counter drugs only
D) Use of herbal supplements
Correct Answer: A) Use of multiple medications (more than 5)
, Rationale: Polypharmacy refers to the use of multiple medications (more than 5) and is
common in the geriatric population, increasing the risk of drug interactions.
Question 9
What is the term for when two drugs are administered in combination and the response
is increased beyond what either could produce alone?
A) Antagonism
B) Synergism
C) Potentiation
D) Additive effect
Correct Answer: B) Synergism
Rationale: Synergism occurs when two drugs are administered in combination and the
response is increased beyond what either could produce alone.
Question 10
A drug that binds to a receptor and produces a weaker response than a full agonist is
called a(n):
A) Antagonist
B) Agonist
C) Partial agonist
D) Competitive antagonist
Correct Answer: C) Partial agonist
Rationale: A partial agonist produces a weaker response than a full agonist, even at full
receptor occupancy.
Question 11
What is the primary site of drug metabolism in the human body?
A) Kidneys
B) Lungs
and Correct Answers (Verified Answers)
Already Graded A+ | New Update 2026/2027
Question 1
Which term best describes "what the body does to the drug"?
A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacotherapeutics
C) Pharmacokinetics
D) Toxicology
Correct Answer: C) Pharmacokinetics
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics is the study of drug movement through the body,
encompassing absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).
Pharmacodynamics, in contrast, is "what the drug does to the body."
Question 2
What are the four phases of pharmacokinetics?
A) Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion
B) Action, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion
C) Absorption, Digestion, Metabolism, Elimination
D) Action, Digestion, Metabolism, Excretion
Correct Answer: A) Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion
Rationale: The four phases of pharmacokinetics are Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism,
and Excretion (ADME).
Question 3
The pharmaceutical phase of drug action involves:
,A) Absorption of the drug into the bloodstream
B) Dissolution of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract
C) Distribution of the drug to target tissues
D) Excretion of the drug via the kidneys
Correct Answer: B) Dissolution of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract
Rationale: The pharmaceutical phase is the first phase of drug action, where the solid drug
must dissolve into a liquid so it can be absorbed. Most oral absorption occurs in the small
intestine.
Question 4
A drug that binds to a receptor and produces a biological response is called a(n):
A) Antagonist
B) Agonist
C) Partial agonist
D) Competitive antagonist
Correct Answer: B) Agonist
Rationale: An agonist activates a receptor and produces a biological response. An
antagonist blocks the receptor and produces no response.
Question 5
A drug that binds to a receptor but produces no response is called a(n):
A) Agonist
B) Partial agonist
C) Antagonist
D) Inverse agonist
Correct Answer: C) Antagonist
Rationale: An antagonist blocks the receptor and produces no response. It prevents other
substances from binding and activating the receptor.
,Question 6
A patient asks the nurse, "What does 'first-pass effect' mean?" The best response is:
A) "The drug is absorbed faster when taken on an empty stomach."
B) "The drug is metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic circulation, reducing its
bioavailability."
C) "The drug is excreted unchanged by the kidneys."
D) "The drug binds to plasma proteins and becomes inactive."
Correct Answer: B) "The drug is metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic
circulation, reducing its bioavailability."
Rationale: First-pass effect refers to the metabolism of an oral drug by the liver before it
reaches systemic circulation, which reduces the amount of active drug available.
Question 7
A medication given by which route has 100% bioavailability?
A) Oral
B) Sublingual
C) Intravenous
D) Intramuscular
Correct Answer: C) Intravenous
Rationale: Intravenous administration places the drug directly into the bloodstream,
bypassing absorption and first-pass metabolism, resulting in 100% bioavailability.
Question 8
What is polypharmacy?
A) Use of multiple medications (more than 5)
B) Use of a single medication
C) Use of over-the-counter drugs only
D) Use of herbal supplements
Correct Answer: A) Use of multiple medications (more than 5)
, Rationale: Polypharmacy refers to the use of multiple medications (more than 5) and is
common in the geriatric population, increasing the risk of drug interactions.
Question 9
What is the term for when two drugs are administered in combination and the response
is increased beyond what either could produce alone?
A) Antagonism
B) Synergism
C) Potentiation
D) Additive effect
Correct Answer: B) Synergism
Rationale: Synergism occurs when two drugs are administered in combination and the
response is increased beyond what either could produce alone.
Question 10
A drug that binds to a receptor and produces a weaker response than a full agonist is
called a(n):
A) Antagonist
B) Agonist
C) Partial agonist
D) Competitive antagonist
Correct Answer: C) Partial agonist
Rationale: A partial agonist produces a weaker response than a full agonist, even at full
receptor occupancy.
Question 11
What is the primary site of drug metabolism in the human body?
A) Kidneys
B) Lungs
