NAGELHOUT
PHARMACOLOGY 1 EXAM
3 ASSESSMENT TEST
PAPER QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
FULL REVIEW GUIDE
Section 1: Foundational Pharmacology Principles
1. What is the definition of pharmacology?
A. The study of drug preparation and dispensing
B. The study of the effect of chemicals on living tissue
C. The study of the economic impact of drugs
D. The study of harmful effects of chemicals
Rationale: Pharmacology is defined as the study of the effect of chemicals on living
tissue .
2. What is pharmacokinetics?
,A. What the drug does to the body
B. What the body does to the drug—absorption, distribution, metabolism,
excretion
C. The formulation and preparation of drugs
D. The study of harmful effects of chemicals
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics is defined as "what the body does to the drug" and
includes absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion .
3. What is pharmacodynamics?
A. What the body does to the drug
B. What the drug does to the body; mechanism of action
C. The study of drug preparation
D. Genetic influences on drugs
Rationale: Pharmacodynamics is defined as "what the drug does to the body" and
involves the physiological and biochemical mechanism of action of drugs .
4. What are the two types of ligands?
A. Agonists and Antagonists
B. Competitive and Non-competitive
C. Ester and Amide
D. Depolarizing and Non-depolarizing
Rationale: The two types of ligands are agonists (bind to receptor and cause a
response) and antagonists (bind to receptor and block its function) .
5. What does an agonist drug do?
A. Blocks receptor function
B. Binds to a receptor and causes a response
,C. Prevents neurotransmitter release
D. Increases receptor sensitivity
Rationale: An agonist binds to a receptor and causes a response. An antagonist binds
to a receptor and blocks the function that receptor serves .
6. What is competitive binding?
A. Reversible binding; as drug wears off, higher concentration of something else
will bind to those receptors
B. Non-reversible binding; once it binds it is there forever
C. Binding that causes permanent receptor damage
D. Binding that increases receptor sensitivity
Rationale: Competitive binding is reversible (most drugs). These drugs possess a weak
affinity for the receptors. Non-competitive binding is non-reversible; once it binds it is
there forever, possessing a strong affinity .
7. List chemical bonds from strongest to weakest.
A. Van der Waals, Hydrophobic, Hydrogen, Ionic, Covalent
B. Covalent, Ionic, Hydrogen, Hydrophobic, Van der Waals
C. Hydrogen, Covalent, Ionic, Van der Waals, Hydrophobic
D. Ionic, Covalent, Van der Waals, Hydrogen, Hydrophobic
Rationale: Chemical bonds from strongest to weakest: Covalent, Ionic, Hydrogen,
Hydrophobic, Van der Waals .
8. What does ED50 represent?
A. Lethal dose for 50% of the population
B. Toxic dose in 50% of the population
, C. Effective dose in 50% of the population
D. Effective dose in 100% of the population
Rationale: ED50 is the effective dose in 50% of the population. TD50 is the toxic dose in
50% of the population. LD50 is the lethal dose for 50% of the population .
9. What is the therapeutic index?
A. TD50/ED50
B. LD50/ED50
C. ED50/LD50
D. TD50/LD50
Rationale: The therapeutic index is LD50/ED50. The therapeutic window is TD50/ED50,
which is an estimation of drug dosage that can treat disease effectively while staying
within the safety range .
10. Do you want a higher or lower therapeutic index?
A. Lower; means the drug is more potent
B. Higher; means it takes "x" times as much of the drug to kill the patient as it
does to treat them effectively
C. Lower; means the drug is safer
D. Higher; means the drug is less effective
Rationale: A higher therapeutic index is desirable because it means it takes "x" times as
much of the drug to kill the patient as it does to treat them effectively .
11. What is down-regulation?
A. Chronic receptor blockade results in increase in quantity and quality of receptors
B. Continued stimulation causes decrease in quantity and quality of receptors
(tolerance)
PHARMACOLOGY 1 EXAM
3 ASSESSMENT TEST
PAPER QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
FULL REVIEW GUIDE
Section 1: Foundational Pharmacology Principles
1. What is the definition of pharmacology?
A. The study of drug preparation and dispensing
B. The study of the effect of chemicals on living tissue
C. The study of the economic impact of drugs
D. The study of harmful effects of chemicals
Rationale: Pharmacology is defined as the study of the effect of chemicals on living
tissue .
2. What is pharmacokinetics?
,A. What the drug does to the body
B. What the body does to the drug—absorption, distribution, metabolism,
excretion
C. The formulation and preparation of drugs
D. The study of harmful effects of chemicals
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics is defined as "what the body does to the drug" and
includes absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion .
3. What is pharmacodynamics?
A. What the body does to the drug
B. What the drug does to the body; mechanism of action
C. The study of drug preparation
D. Genetic influences on drugs
Rationale: Pharmacodynamics is defined as "what the drug does to the body" and
involves the physiological and biochemical mechanism of action of drugs .
4. What are the two types of ligands?
A. Agonists and Antagonists
B. Competitive and Non-competitive
C. Ester and Amide
D. Depolarizing and Non-depolarizing
Rationale: The two types of ligands are agonists (bind to receptor and cause a
response) and antagonists (bind to receptor and block its function) .
5. What does an agonist drug do?
A. Blocks receptor function
B. Binds to a receptor and causes a response
,C. Prevents neurotransmitter release
D. Increases receptor sensitivity
Rationale: An agonist binds to a receptor and causes a response. An antagonist binds
to a receptor and blocks the function that receptor serves .
6. What is competitive binding?
A. Reversible binding; as drug wears off, higher concentration of something else
will bind to those receptors
B. Non-reversible binding; once it binds it is there forever
C. Binding that causes permanent receptor damage
D. Binding that increases receptor sensitivity
Rationale: Competitive binding is reversible (most drugs). These drugs possess a weak
affinity for the receptors. Non-competitive binding is non-reversible; once it binds it is
there forever, possessing a strong affinity .
7. List chemical bonds from strongest to weakest.
A. Van der Waals, Hydrophobic, Hydrogen, Ionic, Covalent
B. Covalent, Ionic, Hydrogen, Hydrophobic, Van der Waals
C. Hydrogen, Covalent, Ionic, Van der Waals, Hydrophobic
D. Ionic, Covalent, Van der Waals, Hydrogen, Hydrophobic
Rationale: Chemical bonds from strongest to weakest: Covalent, Ionic, Hydrogen,
Hydrophobic, Van der Waals .
8. What does ED50 represent?
A. Lethal dose for 50% of the population
B. Toxic dose in 50% of the population
, C. Effective dose in 50% of the population
D. Effective dose in 100% of the population
Rationale: ED50 is the effective dose in 50% of the population. TD50 is the toxic dose in
50% of the population. LD50 is the lethal dose for 50% of the population .
9. What is the therapeutic index?
A. TD50/ED50
B. LD50/ED50
C. ED50/LD50
D. TD50/LD50
Rationale: The therapeutic index is LD50/ED50. The therapeutic window is TD50/ED50,
which is an estimation of drug dosage that can treat disease effectively while staying
within the safety range .
10. Do you want a higher or lower therapeutic index?
A. Lower; means the drug is more potent
B. Higher; means it takes "x" times as much of the drug to kill the patient as it
does to treat them effectively
C. Lower; means the drug is safer
D. Higher; means the drug is less effective
Rationale: A higher therapeutic index is desirable because it means it takes "x" times as
much of the drug to kill the patient as it does to treat them effectively .
11. What is down-regulation?
A. Chronic receptor blockade results in increase in quantity and quality of receptors
B. Continued stimulation causes decrease in quantity and quality of receptors
(tolerance)
