Pharmacology Week 3 Quiz: NURS 180 2026 – WCU
1. What is the primary site for drug metabolism in the human body?
A. Kidneys
B. Liver
C. Small Intestine
D. Lungs
Answer: B
Rationale: The liver is the primary organ responsible for drug metabolism, utilizing the
cytochrome P450 enzyme system.
2. Which term describes the percentage of an administered drug dose that
reaches the systemic circulation?
A. Bioavailability
B. Distribution
C. Absorption
D. Clearance
Answer: A
Rationale: Bioavailability is the subcategory of absorption and is the fraction of an
administered dose of unchanged drug that reaches the systemic circulation.
,3. A drug has a half-life of 4 hours. If 1000 mg is administered at 12:00 PM, how
much drug remains at 8:00 PM?
A. 500 mg
B. 125 mg
C. 250 mg
D. 750 mg
Answer: C
Rationale: After 4 hours (one half-life), 500 mg remains. After another 4 hours (two half-
lives total), 250 mg remains.
4. What happens when a drug is highly protein-bound and the patient has low
albumin levels?
A. The drug becomes less effective.
B. There is a higher risk of drug toxicity.
C. The drug is excreted faster.
D. The drug cannot cross the blood-brain barrier.
Answer: B
Rationale: Fewer protein binding sites (low albumin) mean more ‘free’ active drug in the
bloodstream, increasing the risk of toxicity.
5. Which phase of pharmacokinetics is most affected by a patient’s renal
function?
A. Absorption
B. Distribution
C. Metabolism
D. Excretion
Answer: D
Rationale: Excretion is primarily performed by the kidneys; therefore, renal impairment
directly affects how drugs are cleared from the body.
, 6. An agonist is a drug that:
A. Binds to a receptor and produces a biological response
B. Blocks a receptor site
C. Prevents other chemicals from binding
D. Has no intrinsic activity
Answer: A
Rationale: Agonists bind to receptors and mimic the action of the body’s own regulatory
molecules.
7. Which route of administration is subject to the ‘first-pass effect’?
A. Intravenous
B. Oral
C. Sublingual
D. Transdermal
Answer: B
Rationale: Oral drugs are absorbed in the GI tract and carried to the liver via the portal
vein, where they may be metabolized before reaching systemic circulation.
8. The nurse is monitoring a patient’s ‘trough’ level. When should the blood be
drawn?
A. 30 minutes after the dose is given
B. Immediately before the next dose
C. At the midpoint between doses
D. 2 hours after administration
Answer: B
Rationale: Trough levels represent the lowest concentration of the drug in the blood,
measured just before the next scheduled dose.
1. What is the primary site for drug metabolism in the human body?
A. Kidneys
B. Liver
C. Small Intestine
D. Lungs
Answer: B
Rationale: The liver is the primary organ responsible for drug metabolism, utilizing the
cytochrome P450 enzyme system.
2. Which term describes the percentage of an administered drug dose that
reaches the systemic circulation?
A. Bioavailability
B. Distribution
C. Absorption
D. Clearance
Answer: A
Rationale: Bioavailability is the subcategory of absorption and is the fraction of an
administered dose of unchanged drug that reaches the systemic circulation.
,3. A drug has a half-life of 4 hours. If 1000 mg is administered at 12:00 PM, how
much drug remains at 8:00 PM?
A. 500 mg
B. 125 mg
C. 250 mg
D. 750 mg
Answer: C
Rationale: After 4 hours (one half-life), 500 mg remains. After another 4 hours (two half-
lives total), 250 mg remains.
4. What happens when a drug is highly protein-bound and the patient has low
albumin levels?
A. The drug becomes less effective.
B. There is a higher risk of drug toxicity.
C. The drug is excreted faster.
D. The drug cannot cross the blood-brain barrier.
Answer: B
Rationale: Fewer protein binding sites (low albumin) mean more ‘free’ active drug in the
bloodstream, increasing the risk of toxicity.
5. Which phase of pharmacokinetics is most affected by a patient’s renal
function?
A. Absorption
B. Distribution
C. Metabolism
D. Excretion
Answer: D
Rationale: Excretion is primarily performed by the kidneys; therefore, renal impairment
directly affects how drugs are cleared from the body.
, 6. An agonist is a drug that:
A. Binds to a receptor and produces a biological response
B. Blocks a receptor site
C. Prevents other chemicals from binding
D. Has no intrinsic activity
Answer: A
Rationale: Agonists bind to receptors and mimic the action of the body’s own regulatory
molecules.
7. Which route of administration is subject to the ‘first-pass effect’?
A. Intravenous
B. Oral
C. Sublingual
D. Transdermal
Answer: B
Rationale: Oral drugs are absorbed in the GI tract and carried to the liver via the portal
vein, where they may be metabolized before reaching systemic circulation.
8. The nurse is monitoring a patient’s ‘trough’ level. When should the blood be
drawn?
A. 30 minutes after the dose is given
B. Immediately before the next dose
C. At the midpoint between doses
D. 2 hours after administration
Answer: B
Rationale: Trough levels represent the lowest concentration of the drug in the blood,
measured just before the next scheduled dose.
