1
NUR 2060 PHARMACOLOGY IN NURSING COMPREHENSIVE
EXAMINATION WITH FULL PACKAGE QUESTIONS ANSWERS AND
RATIONALES 2026-27 LATEST VERSION
Instructions: Select the single best answer for each question. This examination covers
foundational pharmacology concepts, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug
classifications, nursing implications, medication administration, and safety principles as
tested in the NUR 2060 curriculum.
Section 1: Foundational Concepts & Drug Nomenclature (Questions
1–15)
1. Pharmacology is best defined as the:
A) Use of drugs to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease
B) Study of drugs and their interactions with living systems
C) Process of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
excretion
D) Study of how drugs produce their therapeutic effects
Explanation: Pharmacology is the scientific study of all aspects of
drugs, including their source, properties, uses, actions, and effects on
living systems. Pharmacotherapeutics refers specifically to the use of
drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease.
2. Which of the following best describes pharmacotherapeutics?
A) The study of drug absorption and distribution
B) The use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease
C) The study of drug interactions with receptors
D) The process of drug metabolism in the liver
Explanation: Pharmacotherapeutics is the branch of pharmacology
concerned with the therapeutic use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or
treat disease, as well as to prevent pregnancy.
,2
3. What are the three main properties of an ideal drug?
A) Effectiveness, safety, and selectivity
B) Potency, efficacy, and bioavailability
C) Absorption, distribution, and metabolism
D) Affinity, efficacy, and potency
Explanation: The three main properties of an ideal drug are
effectiveness (it should elicit the intended response), safety (it should
not produce harmful effects), and selectivity (it should elicit only the
response for which it is given).
4. A drug's generic name is:
A) The brand name assigned by the manufacturer
B) The chemical name describing its molecular structure
C) The nonproprietary name assigned by the United States Adopted
Names (USAN) Council
D) The name used exclusively in clinical settings
Explanation: The generic name is the nonproprietary, official name
assigned by the USAN Council. It is not owned by any manufacturer
and is used universally. The brand (trade) name is proprietary, and
the chemical name describes the molecular structure.
5. Which route of drug administration is considered "local"?
A) Application to a specific site, such as the skin or mucous
membranes
B) Administration directly into the bloodstream
C) Any route that produces systemic effects
D) Only topical administration to the skin
Explanation: A local route means the drug is applied directly to the
site where its effect is desired, such as topical applications to the skin,
eye drops, or inhaled medications. This contrasts with systemic routes
that distribute the drug throughout the body.
,3
6. Drugs administered by which route have 100% bioavailability?
A) Oral
B) Subcutaneous
C) Intravenous (IV)
D) Intramuscular (IM)
Explanation: Intravenous administration delivers the drug directly
into the bloodstream, bypassing absorption barriers. Therefore, the
entire dose reaches systemic circulation, giving 100% bioavailability.
7. The study of what the body does to a drug is called:
A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacokinetics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Pharmacognosy
Explanation: Pharmacokinetics is the study of how the body processes
a drug—specifically, the processes of absorption, distribution,
metabolism, and excretion (ADME). Pharmacodynamics, in contrast,
is the study of what the drug does to the body.
8. The study of what a drug does to the body is called:
A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacokinetics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Toxicology
Explanation: Pharmacodynamics is the study of the biochemical and
physiologic effects of drugs on the body and the mechanisms of drug
action, including receptor binding and signal transduction.
9. Drugs that are exogenous are:
A) Produced outside the body
B) Produced naturally within the body
, 4
C) Derived from plant sources only
D) Synthetic versions of endogenous substances
Explanation: Exogenous substances are those produced outside the
body and introduced into it. Endogenous substances are produced
naturally within the body.
10. Which schedule of controlled substances has the HIGHEST
potential for abuse?
A) Schedule II
B) Schedule III
C) Schedule IV
D) Schedule I
Explanation: Schedule I drugs have the highest potential for abuse
and no currently accepted medical use in the United States (e.g.,
heroin, LSD). Schedule II drugs have high abuse potential but have
accepted medical uses (e.g., morphine, oxycodone).
11. A drug that produces only the response for which it is given is
said to have:
A) High potency
B) High efficacy
C) Selectivity
D) Low toxicity
Explanation: Selectivity means the drug elicits only the specific
response for which it is given, without producing unwanted effects on
other systems. This is one of the three main properties of an ideal
drug.
12. Which of the following is NOT one of the three main properties
of an ideal drug?
A) Effectiveness
NUR 2060 PHARMACOLOGY IN NURSING COMPREHENSIVE
EXAMINATION WITH FULL PACKAGE QUESTIONS ANSWERS AND
RATIONALES 2026-27 LATEST VERSION
Instructions: Select the single best answer for each question. This examination covers
foundational pharmacology concepts, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug
classifications, nursing implications, medication administration, and safety principles as
tested in the NUR 2060 curriculum.
Section 1: Foundational Concepts & Drug Nomenclature (Questions
1–15)
1. Pharmacology is best defined as the:
A) Use of drugs to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease
B) Study of drugs and their interactions with living systems
C) Process of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
excretion
D) Study of how drugs produce their therapeutic effects
Explanation: Pharmacology is the scientific study of all aspects of
drugs, including their source, properties, uses, actions, and effects on
living systems. Pharmacotherapeutics refers specifically to the use of
drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease.
2. Which of the following best describes pharmacotherapeutics?
A) The study of drug absorption and distribution
B) The use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or treat disease
C) The study of drug interactions with receptors
D) The process of drug metabolism in the liver
Explanation: Pharmacotherapeutics is the branch of pharmacology
concerned with the therapeutic use of drugs to diagnose, prevent, or
treat disease, as well as to prevent pregnancy.
,2
3. What are the three main properties of an ideal drug?
A) Effectiveness, safety, and selectivity
B) Potency, efficacy, and bioavailability
C) Absorption, distribution, and metabolism
D) Affinity, efficacy, and potency
Explanation: The three main properties of an ideal drug are
effectiveness (it should elicit the intended response), safety (it should
not produce harmful effects), and selectivity (it should elicit only the
response for which it is given).
4. A drug's generic name is:
A) The brand name assigned by the manufacturer
B) The chemical name describing its molecular structure
C) The nonproprietary name assigned by the United States Adopted
Names (USAN) Council
D) The name used exclusively in clinical settings
Explanation: The generic name is the nonproprietary, official name
assigned by the USAN Council. It is not owned by any manufacturer
and is used universally. The brand (trade) name is proprietary, and
the chemical name describes the molecular structure.
5. Which route of drug administration is considered "local"?
A) Application to a specific site, such as the skin or mucous
membranes
B) Administration directly into the bloodstream
C) Any route that produces systemic effects
D) Only topical administration to the skin
Explanation: A local route means the drug is applied directly to the
site where its effect is desired, such as topical applications to the skin,
eye drops, or inhaled medications. This contrasts with systemic routes
that distribute the drug throughout the body.
,3
6. Drugs administered by which route have 100% bioavailability?
A) Oral
B) Subcutaneous
C) Intravenous (IV)
D) Intramuscular (IM)
Explanation: Intravenous administration delivers the drug directly
into the bloodstream, bypassing absorption barriers. Therefore, the
entire dose reaches systemic circulation, giving 100% bioavailability.
7. The study of what the body does to a drug is called:
A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacokinetics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Pharmacognosy
Explanation: Pharmacokinetics is the study of how the body processes
a drug—specifically, the processes of absorption, distribution,
metabolism, and excretion (ADME). Pharmacodynamics, in contrast,
is the study of what the drug does to the body.
8. The study of what a drug does to the body is called:
A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacokinetics
C) Pharmacotherapeutics
D) Toxicology
Explanation: Pharmacodynamics is the study of the biochemical and
physiologic effects of drugs on the body and the mechanisms of drug
action, including receptor binding and signal transduction.
9. Drugs that are exogenous are:
A) Produced outside the body
B) Produced naturally within the body
, 4
C) Derived from plant sources only
D) Synthetic versions of endogenous substances
Explanation: Exogenous substances are those produced outside the
body and introduced into it. Endogenous substances are produced
naturally within the body.
10. Which schedule of controlled substances has the HIGHEST
potential for abuse?
A) Schedule II
B) Schedule III
C) Schedule IV
D) Schedule I
Explanation: Schedule I drugs have the highest potential for abuse
and no currently accepted medical use in the United States (e.g.,
heroin, LSD). Schedule II drugs have high abuse potential but have
accepted medical uses (e.g., morphine, oxycodone).
11. A drug that produces only the response for which it is given is
said to have:
A) High potency
B) High efficacy
C) Selectivity
D) Low toxicity
Explanation: Selectivity means the drug elicits only the specific
response for which it is given, without producing unwanted effects on
other systems. This is one of the three main properties of an ideal
drug.
12. Which of the following is NOT one of the three main properties
of an ideal drug?
A) Effectiveness
