D441 Pharmacology Week 2 Comprehensive Study Guide 2026 |WGU
1. Which phase of pharmacokinetics involves the movement of a drug from its
site of administration into the bloodstream?
A. Absorption
B. Excretion
C. Metabolism
D. Distribution
Answer: A
Rationale: Absorption is the process of a drug moving from the administration site into the
blood circulation.
2. Which route of administration is subject to the ‘first-pass effect’?
A. Intravenous
B. Sublingual
C. Oral
D. Intramuscular
Answer: C
Rationale: Oral medications are absorbed in the GI tract and carried to the liver via the
hepatic portal vein, where they may be metabolized before reaching systemic circulation.
3. What does the term ‘pharmacodynamics’ primarily refer to?
A. What the drug does to the body
B. What the body does to the drug
C. The movement of drugs through the body
D. The excretion of drugs from the body
Answer: A
,Rationale: Pharmacodynamics is the study of the biochemical and physiological effects of
drugs on the body and their mechanisms of action.
4. Which plasma protein is most commonly involved in drug binding?
A. Albumin
B. Globulin
C. Hemoglobin
D. Fibrinogen
Answer: A
Rationale: Albumin is the most important protein to which drugs bind in the plasma; only
free (unbound) drugs are pharmacologically active.
5. A drug with a narrow therapeutic index (TI) indicates that:
A. The difference between a therapeutic dose and a toxic dose is small
B. The lethal dose is much higher than the effective dose
C. The drug is very safe to administer
D. The drug does not require blood level monitoring
Answer: A
Rationale: A narrow therapeutic index means there is a small margin of safety between the
effective dose and the toxic dose.
6. What is the primary organ responsible for drug metabolism?
A. Kidneys
B. Lungs
C. Small Intestine
D. Liver
Answer: D
Rationale: The liver is the primary site of drug metabolism, primarily using the
cytochrome P450 enzyme system.
, 7. If a drug has a half-life of 4 hours, how much of the drug remains in the body
after 12 hours?
A. 12.5%
B. 25%
C. 50%
D. 6.25%
Answer: A
Rationale: After 4 hours (1 half-life), 50% remains. After 8 hours (2 half-lives), 25%
remains. After 12 hours (3 half-lives), 12.5% remains.
8. An agonist is a drug that:
A. Blocks a receptor to prevent a response
B. Increases the excretion of other drugs
C. Binds to a receptor and mimics the body’s own regulatory molecules
D. Neutralizes gastric acid
Answer: C
Rationale: Agonists are molecules that activate receptors and mimic the action of
endogenous ligands.
9. Which schedule of controlled substances has the highest potential for abuse
and no currently accepted medical use in the U.S.?
A. Schedule II
B. Schedule I
C. Schedule III
D. Schedule V
Answer: B
Rationale: Schedule I drugs have high abuse potential and no accepted medical use (e.g.,
heroin, LSD).
1. Which phase of pharmacokinetics involves the movement of a drug from its
site of administration into the bloodstream?
A. Absorption
B. Excretion
C. Metabolism
D. Distribution
Answer: A
Rationale: Absorption is the process of a drug moving from the administration site into the
blood circulation.
2. Which route of administration is subject to the ‘first-pass effect’?
A. Intravenous
B. Sublingual
C. Oral
D. Intramuscular
Answer: C
Rationale: Oral medications are absorbed in the GI tract and carried to the liver via the
hepatic portal vein, where they may be metabolized before reaching systemic circulation.
3. What does the term ‘pharmacodynamics’ primarily refer to?
A. What the drug does to the body
B. What the body does to the drug
C. The movement of drugs through the body
D. The excretion of drugs from the body
Answer: A
,Rationale: Pharmacodynamics is the study of the biochemical and physiological effects of
drugs on the body and their mechanisms of action.
4. Which plasma protein is most commonly involved in drug binding?
A. Albumin
B. Globulin
C. Hemoglobin
D. Fibrinogen
Answer: A
Rationale: Albumin is the most important protein to which drugs bind in the plasma; only
free (unbound) drugs are pharmacologically active.
5. A drug with a narrow therapeutic index (TI) indicates that:
A. The difference between a therapeutic dose and a toxic dose is small
B. The lethal dose is much higher than the effective dose
C. The drug is very safe to administer
D. The drug does not require blood level monitoring
Answer: A
Rationale: A narrow therapeutic index means there is a small margin of safety between the
effective dose and the toxic dose.
6. What is the primary organ responsible for drug metabolism?
A. Kidneys
B. Lungs
C. Small Intestine
D. Liver
Answer: D
Rationale: The liver is the primary site of drug metabolism, primarily using the
cytochrome P450 enzyme system.
, 7. If a drug has a half-life of 4 hours, how much of the drug remains in the body
after 12 hours?
A. 12.5%
B. 25%
C. 50%
D. 6.25%
Answer: A
Rationale: After 4 hours (1 half-life), 50% remains. After 8 hours (2 half-lives), 25%
remains. After 12 hours (3 half-lives), 12.5% remains.
8. An agonist is a drug that:
A. Blocks a receptor to prevent a response
B. Increases the excretion of other drugs
C. Binds to a receptor and mimics the body’s own regulatory molecules
D. Neutralizes gastric acid
Answer: C
Rationale: Agonists are molecules that activate receptors and mimic the action of
endogenous ligands.
9. Which schedule of controlled substances has the highest potential for abuse
and no currently accepted medical use in the U.S.?
A. Schedule II
B. Schedule I
C. Schedule III
D. Schedule V
Answer: B
Rationale: Schedule I drugs have high abuse potential and no accepted medical use (e.g.,
heroin, LSD).
