,Updated for 2025-2026
Chapter 1: Pharmacokinetics
,Updated for 2025-2026
Multiple Choice Questions (1–20)
1. Which drugs will go through a pharmaceutic phase after administration?
a. Intramuscular cephalosporins
b. Intravenous vasopressors
c. Oral analgesics
d. Subcutaneous antiglycemics
Correct Answer: C. Oral analgesics
Rationale: Oral medications undergo a pharmaceutic phase because they must be
disintegrated and dissolved into a solution before they can cross biologic
membranes. Parenteral drugs bypass this phase.
Cognitive Level: Understanding (Comprehension)
Reference: Ch. 1, p. 3
Nursing Process: Assessment
NCLEX Category: Physiological Integrity – Pharmacological and Parenteral
Therapies
2. Which process describes the movement of a drug from its site of
administration into the bloodstream?
a. Distribution
b. Absorption
c. Metabolism
d. Excretion
Correct Answer: B. Absorption
Rationale: Absorption is the process by which a drug moves from its site of
administration into systemic circulation. Distribution is drug movement throughout
the body, metabolism is chemical alteration, and excretion is elimination.
Cognitive Level: Knowledge (Recall)
, Updated for 2025-2026
Reference: Ch. 1, p. 5
Nursing Process: Assessment
NCLEX Category: Physiological Integrity – Pharmacological and Parenteral
Therapies
3. Which factor would most likely delay drug absorption in an oral
medication?
a. Increased gastric motility
b. Taking the drug with food
c. Highly vascular small intestine
d. Sublingual administration
Correct Answer: B. Taking the drug with food
Rationale: Food delays gastric emptying and may bind to drugs, reducing
absorption. Rapid motility or rich intestinal blood flow enhances absorption, and
sublingual bypasses gastric processes.
Cognitive Level: Application
Reference: Ch. 1, p. 7
Nursing Process: Implementation
NCLEX Category: Physiological Integrity – Pharmacological and Parenteral
Therapies
4. A patient receives nitroglycerin sublingually. This route avoids which
pharmacokinetic process?
a. Distribution
b. First-pass metabolism
c. Absorption
d. Excretion