BIOD 351 Pharmacology - Module 1: Pharmacokinetics Exam
2026/2027 UPDATE
1. Which branch of pharmacology is specifically concerned with the movement
of drugs through the body, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
excretion?
A. Pharmacokinetics
B. Pharmacogenomics
C. Pharmacodynamics
D. Pharmacotherapeutics
Answer: A
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics is the study of what the body does to the drug (ADME),
whereas pharmacodynamics is what the drug does to the body.
2. Which process describes the movement of a drug from its site of
administration into the bloodstream?
A. Distribution
B. Excretion
C. Metabolism
D. Absorption
Answer: D
Rationale: Absorption is the primary process of a drug entering the systemic circulation
from the site of administration.
,3. What is the term for the percentage of an administered drug dose that
reaches the systemic circulation in an unchanged form?
A. Bioavailability
B. Clearance
C. Volume of distribution
D. Half-life
Answer: A
Rationale: Bioavailability refers to the fraction of the drug that reaches the blood supply;
IV administration typically provides 100% bioavailability.
4. Which route of administration is subject to the ‘first-pass effect’ in the liver?
A. Intravenous
B. Sublingual
C. Inhalation
D. Oral
Answer: D
Rationale: Orally administered drugs are absorbed in the GI tract and carried via the
portal vein to the liver, where they may be metabolized before reaching systemic
circulation.
5. Which organ is primarily responsible for the metabolism of most drugs?
A. Kidneys
B. Lungs
C. Small Intestine
D. Liver
Answer: D
Rationale: The liver is the main site for drug metabolism due to its high concentration of
microsomal enzymes like Cytochrome P450.
, 6. Which transport mechanism moves drugs against a concentration gradient
and requires energy (ATP)?
A. Passive diffusion
B. Active transport
C. Facilitated diffusion
D. Osmosis
Answer: B
Rationale: Active transport uses carrier proteins and energy to move molecules from low
to high concentration areas.
7. What is the primary plasma protein that drugs bind to in the bloodstream?
A. Hemoglobin
B. Fibrinogen
C. Gamma globulin
D. Albumin
Answer: D
Rationale: Albumin is the most abundant plasma protein and is the primary binder for
acidic and many neutral drugs.
8. A drug that is highly lipid-soluble is most likely to:
A. Cross the blood-brain barrier easily
B. Be excreted rapidly by the kidneys
C. Stay in the bloodstream
D. Have a very low volume of distribution
Answer: A
Rationale: Lipid solubility (lipophilicity) allows drugs to pass through the lipid bilayer of
cell membranes, including the blood-brain barrier.
2026/2027 UPDATE
1. Which branch of pharmacology is specifically concerned with the movement
of drugs through the body, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
excretion?
A. Pharmacokinetics
B. Pharmacogenomics
C. Pharmacodynamics
D. Pharmacotherapeutics
Answer: A
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics is the study of what the body does to the drug (ADME),
whereas pharmacodynamics is what the drug does to the body.
2. Which process describes the movement of a drug from its site of
administration into the bloodstream?
A. Distribution
B. Excretion
C. Metabolism
D. Absorption
Answer: D
Rationale: Absorption is the primary process of a drug entering the systemic circulation
from the site of administration.
,3. What is the term for the percentage of an administered drug dose that
reaches the systemic circulation in an unchanged form?
A. Bioavailability
B. Clearance
C. Volume of distribution
D. Half-life
Answer: A
Rationale: Bioavailability refers to the fraction of the drug that reaches the blood supply;
IV administration typically provides 100% bioavailability.
4. Which route of administration is subject to the ‘first-pass effect’ in the liver?
A. Intravenous
B. Sublingual
C. Inhalation
D. Oral
Answer: D
Rationale: Orally administered drugs are absorbed in the GI tract and carried via the
portal vein to the liver, where they may be metabolized before reaching systemic
circulation.
5. Which organ is primarily responsible for the metabolism of most drugs?
A. Kidneys
B. Lungs
C. Small Intestine
D. Liver
Answer: D
Rationale: The liver is the main site for drug metabolism due to its high concentration of
microsomal enzymes like Cytochrome P450.
, 6. Which transport mechanism moves drugs against a concentration gradient
and requires energy (ATP)?
A. Passive diffusion
B. Active transport
C. Facilitated diffusion
D. Osmosis
Answer: B
Rationale: Active transport uses carrier proteins and energy to move molecules from low
to high concentration areas.
7. What is the primary plasma protein that drugs bind to in the bloodstream?
A. Hemoglobin
B. Fibrinogen
C. Gamma globulin
D. Albumin
Answer: D
Rationale: Albumin is the most abundant plasma protein and is the primary binder for
acidic and many neutral drugs.
8. A drug that is highly lipid-soluble is most likely to:
A. Cross the blood-brain barrier easily
B. Be excreted rapidly by the kidneys
C. Stay in the bloodstream
D. Have a very low volume of distribution
Answer: A
Rationale: Lipid solubility (lipophilicity) allows drugs to pass through the lipid bilayer of
cell membranes, including the blood-brain barrier.
