Arsi University Health Sciences College

Pharmacy Department

Pharmaceutical Calculation Final Examination (Summer Students)

Total Exam Duration: 2:30 Hours

Name________________________________________ID No____________ Sign_______

General Instructions:
This booklet contains FOUR PARTS: All answers should be written on separate answer

sheet paper in the spaces provided. This exam accounts for 75% of the total marks for the

course. There are a total of Ten pages including this title page. Attempt all questions

according to the specific instructions. CHEATING MAKE YOUR RESULTS

INVALID!

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE OVER UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO!

BY Abdurazak J.
July 2017
Asella
 I. Write true for correct or false for incorrect statements (1 pts each, 5 points total).
1. Calibrated dropper is appropriate for the measurement of medicine dose.
2. Contraction of liquids does not affect volume of the components.
3. Osmotic pressure depends more on the number than on the kind of particles.
4. The resistance to a change in pH is known as buffer capacity.

5. Stable isotopes never change unless affected by some outside force.

II. Mutching Questions; Instructions: Match column ‘A’ with column ‘B’. Lists under
‘B’ are definition of words or phrases under column ‘A’. Column ‘B’ may be used once
or not at all (1 pts each, 5 pts total).

A B
1. Proportion A. Closeness of measurements to the true value
2. Precision B. Comparison of two like quantities
3. An aliquots C. Expression of the equality of two ratios
4. Specific gravity D. Minimum weight required to move a pointer by one division
5. Dosage regimen E. Part that is contained in an exact number of times in another
F. Rate of application of a dose
G. Reproducibility of a series of measurements
H. Schedule of dosing of a medication
I. Volume of substance to volume of an equal weight of standard
J. Weight of substance to weight of an equal volume of standard

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III. Multiple Choice Questions: Answer each question in this section by writing letter
corresponding to the best answer on line provided (1 points each; 40 points Total).
1. Which comes first in a step-wise approach toward pharmaceutical calculation?

A. Performing necessary C. Estimation dimension of answer

calculations D. Considering fairness of answer
B. Understanding purpose of
problem

2. Which one has more than one significant figure?

A. There are 10 years in a decade C. There are 50 students in a class

B. A meter has 100 centimeter D. All of the above

3. How many significant figures are there in 0.09086 numbers?

A. Four significant figures C. Five significant figures

B. Six significant figures D. Three significant figures

4. Which arithmetic operation is correct according to rules for rounding?

A. 0.489 g + 0.1875 g = 0.6765 g C. 2.54 mg ÷ 25 mg = 0.102 mg

B. 1.25 mL × 0.75 mL = 0.9375 D. 6.39 m2 ─ 0.008 m2 = 6.382 m2
mL

5. When arranged logically, what is the last step in dimensional analysis?

A. Identifying given quantity in C. Establishing the unit path

unit D. Performing the computation
B. Identifying the required with
unit

6. One is correct about volume measurement in pharmacy area?

A. Conical graduates use dual-scale B. Cylindric graduates use dual-

scale

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 C. Syringe measure large volume D. Calibrated vessel gauge small
vol.

7. What is the role of putting paper on pan during weighing pharmaceuticals?

A. Cause repeated cleaning C. Enhance balance sensitivity

B. Protects pan damage D. Help to measure small amount

8. What is pharmaceutical or clinical application of specific gravity?

A. Indicate urine concentration C. Both A and B

B. To assess degree of hydration D. To assess liver function

9. From the following lists, which can affect the dose of a drug?

A. Dosage form used C. Severity of the illness

B. Route of administration D. All can affect the dose

10. Which measuring devices may be used to estimate doses?

A. Calibrated cups C. Household teaspoonful

B. Intravenous sets D. All of them may be used

11. A pharmacist attempts to weigh 0.400 gram of morphine sulfate on a balance of

dubious accuracy. When checked on a highly accurate balance, the weight is found
to be 0.375 gram. What is the percentage of error in the first weighing?

A. 6.25% C. 2.50%
B. 6.67% D. 7.75%

12. A pharmacist attempts to weigh 125 mg of codeine sulfate on a balance with a

sensitivity requirement of 4 mg. Calculate the maximum potential error in terms of
percentage.

A. 5.00% C. 3.20%
B. 1.25% D. 8.00%

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13. If 500 mL of mineral oil is used to prepare a liter of mineral oil emulsion, how many
grams of the oil, having a specific gravity of 0.87, would be used in the preparation
of a gallon of the emulsion? (Note, a gallon = 3785 mL)

A. 1892.50 gram C. 2000.00 gram

B. 1646.50 gram D. 2175.29 gram

14. Glycerin, USP (specific gravity 1.25) costs $54.25 per pound. If students in a
dispensing laboratory use one pint of glycerin in preparing compounded
prescriptions, what is the cost of the glycerin used? (Note, 1 pound = 454 gram and a
pint = 473 mL)
A. $56.52 C. $65.10
B. $50.07 D. $70.65
15. Two 10-mL samples of urine have specific gravities of 1.003 & 1.030. What is the
difference in weight between the two samples?

A. 520 milligram C. 270 milligram

B. 540 milligram D. 260 milligram

16. If 60 tablets each containing 250 mg of metronidazole is dissolved into sufficient

solvent to prepare 200 mL of topical lotion, what is the percentage strength (w/v) of
the lotion?

A. 1.25% weight in volume (w/v) C. 8.00% weight in volume (w/v)

B. 7.50% weight in volume (w/v) D. 3.00% weight in volume (w/v

17. How much NaF should be added to 100,000 liters of drinking water containing 0.6
ppm of NaF to provide a recommended concentration of 1.75 ppm?

A. 115 gram C. 235 gram

B. 115 milligram D. 235 milligram

18. What is the percentage strength (v/v) if 225 gram of a liquid with specific volume of
1.25 is added to enough water to make 1.5 liters of the solution?

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 A. 15.00% volume in volume (v/v) C. 18.75% volume in volume (v/v)
B. 12.00 % volume in volume (v/v) D. 18.00% volume in volume (v/v)

19. An injection contains 0.50% (w/v) of lidocaine hydrochloride and 1:2000 (w/v) of
epinephrine. What is the concentration of lidocaine hydrochloride as ratio strength
and that of epinephrine as a percentage respectively?

A. 1: 20 (w/v) and 0.50% (w/v) C. 0.05% (w/v) and 1: 200 (w/v)

B. 0.50% (w/v) and 1: 20 (w/v) D. 1: 200 (w/v) and 0.05% (w/v)

20. A pharmacist receives the following prescription but does not have hydrocortisone
powder on hand. However, there is hydrocortisone injection containing 100 mg per
milliliter of injection. A search of the literature indicates that the injection has a
specific gravity of 1.5. How many milliliters of the hydrocortisone injection would
provide the correct amount of hydrocortisone?

Rx Hydrocortisone 1.5%

Cold Cream qs 30 g

A. 4.50 mL C. 2.30 mL
B. 6.75 mL D. 2.25 mL

21. The daily dose of a drug is given in literature as 8 mg/kg or 400 mg/m2, what is the
dose on each basis for a patient weighing 62.5 kg & measuring 90 cm in height
respectively?

A. 250 mg, 400 mg C. 400 mg, 500 mg

B. 500 mg, 500 mg D. 500 mg, 400 mg

22. From the following formula, calculate the quantity of calcium carbonate required to
make 1300 g of the powder.
Calcium Carbonate 10 parts
Magnesium Oxide 2 parts
Sodium Bicarbonate 8 parts
Bismuth Subcarbonate 6 parts
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 A. 100 grams C. 500 grams
B. 300 grams D. 400 grams

23. How many grams of NaCl should be used in preparing 500 mL of a stock solution
such that 50 mL diluted to 1000 mL will yield a ‘1⁄3 normal saline’ (0.3% w/v) for
irrigation?

A. 15 gram C. 50 gram
B. 25 gram D. 30 gram
24. If 50 mL of a 1: 20 w/v solution is diluted to 1000 mL, what is the ratio strength
(w/v)?

A. 1: 200 w/v C. 1: 800 w/v

B. 1: 400 w/v D. 1: 1600 w/v

25. How many milliliters of 95% w/w sulfuric acid having a specific gravity of 1.82
should be used in preparing 2 liters of 10% w/v sulfuric acid?

A. 109.89 milliliter C. 115.67 milliliter

B. 210.53 milliliter D. 104.40 milliliter

26. Four equal amounts of extracts, containing 1.15% w/w, 1.20% w/w, 1.30% w/w &
1.35% w/w of alkaloids were mixed. What is the percentage strength of the final
mixture?

A. 2.42% w/w C. 1.38% w/w

B. 1.57% w/w D. 1.25% w/w

27. A pharmacist mixed 500 mL of propylene glycol having a specific gravity of 1.20
with 500 mL of water, how much milliliter of further propylene glycol should be
added to change the specific gravity of mixture to 1.15?

A. 1000 mL C. 500 mL
B. 575 mL D. 600 mL

28. How much sodium chloride should be used in preparing 30 mL of a 1% w/v solution
of atropine sulfate, which is to be made isotonic with lacrimal fluid? E NaCl = 0.12)

A. 600 mg B. 720 mg

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 C. 198 mg D. 270 mg

29. A 40 mL vial of NaCl solution was diluted to a liter with sterile distilled water. The
concentration of NaCl in the finished product was 0.585% w/v. What was the
strength in milliequivalents per milliliter (mEq/mL) of the original solution?

A. 2.25 mEq/mL C. 1.25 mEq/mL

B. 1.20 mEq/mL D. 2.50 mEq/mL

30. What is the osmolarity, in milliosmoles per liter, of a parenteral solution containing
2 mEq/mL of potassium acetate (KC2H3O2 = m.w. 98).

A. 4000 mOsmol C. 1960 mOsmol

B. 2000 mOsmol D. 3920 mOsmol

31. How many milliosmoles of sodium are represented in a liter of 3% hypertonic

sodium chloride solution? Assume complete dissociation (NaCl – m.w. 58.5).

A. 1025.64 mOsmol C. 333.33 mOsmol

B. 512.82 mOsmol D. 666.67 mOsmol

32. A person is to receive 36 mg of ammonium chloride per kilogram of body weight. If

the person weighs 154 lb., how much milliliter of a sterile solution of ammonium
chloride (NH4Cl—m.w. 53.5) containing 0.4 mEq/mL should be administered?

A. 259.07 mL C. 175.25 mL
B. 190.70 mL D. 117.76 mL

33. What molar ratio of salt to acid would be required to prepare a buffer solution with a
pH of 4.5? The pKa value of the acid is 4.05 at 25℃.

A. 1:1.11 C. 2.82:1
B. 1:2.82 D. 1.11:1

34. An IV infusion contains 10 mL of a 0.02% isoproterenol HCl solution & 500 mL of

a 5% dextrose injection. At what flow rate the infusion be run to provide 5µg of
isoproterenol HCl per minute & what time will be necessary for giving entire
infusion?

A. 6 ½ mL/minute and 1.275 hour B. 1.275 mL/minute and 6 ½ hour

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 C. 1.25 mL/minute and 6 2/3 hour D. 6 2/3 mL/minute and 1.25 hour

35. A 10-mL ampoule of potassium chloride contains 2.98 g of KCl (m.w. 74.5). What
is the concentration of the solution in terms of milliequivalents per milliliter?

A. 4 mEq/mL C. 40 mEq/mL
B. 2 mEq/mL D. 20 mEq/mL

36. What is the half-life of a radioisotope that has a disintegration constant of 0.00456
day -1.

A. 219 days C. 186 days

B. 152 days D. 353 days

37. The original quantity of a radioisotope is given as 20 mCi (740 MBq). If the quantity
remaining after 6 days is 15 mCi (555 MBq), what is the disintegration constant and
the half-life of the radioisotope respectively.

A. 0.0019975 per hour, 348 hours C. Both and B are correct

B. 0.04974 per day, 14.5 days D. 0.04974 days, 14.5 per day

38. Among the following units, which one is the largest unit for measuring
radioactivity?

A. Curie (Ci) C. Nanocurie (nCi)

B. Millicurie (mCi) D. Microcurie (µCi)

39. Who is responsible to prepare radioactive pharmaceuticals?

A. Pharmacologist C. Nuclear Pharmacist

B. Clinical Pharmacist D. Nuclear Medicine

40. A solution having the same osmotic pressure (meaning of equal tone) as specific
body fluid is termed …………………..

A. Isosmotic solution C. Hyposmotic solution

B. Isotonic solution D. Hypotonic solution

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IV. Workout Questions: Following necessary steps, calculate required quantity for the
following question; No mark is given for putting final answers only (25 points
Total)

1. If 50 mL of a solution having 10 g of active ingredient is diluted to 100 mL (5 pts).

A) What will be the percentage strength of diluted solution?

B) If by evaporation of the solvent, the volume of original solution is reduced to

25 mL, what will be the percentage strength of the solution?

2. How many grams of zinc oxide should be added to 3200 g of 5% w/w zinc oxide
ointment to prepare an ointment containing 20% of zinc oxide? (5 Points)

3. How many milliliters of isotonic sodium chloride solution should be used to prepare 30
mL of a 1% w/v isotonic solution of fentanyl citrate (E = 0.11) (5 Points)?

4. A person is to receive 2 mEq of sodium chloride per kilogram of body weight. If the
person weighs 60 kg, how many milliliters of a 0.9% sterile solution of sodium chloride
should be administered (5 Points)?

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5. A medication order calls for 1000 milliliters of a dextrose intravenous infusion to be
administered over 6-hour and 40 minute period. Using intravenous administration set
that delivers 10 drops/milliliter, how many drops per minute should be delivered to the
patient? Solve the problem by using both ratio-proportion & dimensional analysis (5
points).
Bonus (5 Points)
1. A physician orders Benylin DM® cough syrup, 120 mL, 1 tsp q6h prn cough, for a
child. Benylin DM® is a preparation containing 10mg of dextromethorphan in each 5ml.
You only carry Delsym® in your pharmacy having 30mg dextromethorphan/5ml. Rather
than adjust the dose, you decide to dilute some Delsym® with cherry syrup, so as to
arrive at same concentration as the Benylin DM® (and make it more tasty in the
process...). How much Delsym® & how much cherry syrup will you use (2.5 points)?
Pharmaceutical Calculation Final Exam Answer Sheet
Name……………………………………………….……………… ID ……………
I. True/False Questions II: Matching
1. …………. . 1. ……………………
2. …………. 2. ……………………
3. …………. . 3. ……………………
4. ………… . 4. ……………………
5. ………… 5. ……………………
III. Multiple Choices

1. …….. 11. …….. 20. ……. 25. ……

2. …….. 12. …….. .. …
3. …….. 13. …….. 21. …… 26. ……
4. …….. 14. …….. … …
5. …….. 15. …….. 22. …… 27. ……
6. …….. 16. …….. … …
7. …….. 17. …….. 23. …… 28. ……
8. …….. 18. …….. … …
9. …….. 19. …… 24. …… 29. ……
10. …….. … … …
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 30. …… 33. …… 36. ……
… … …
31. …… 34. …… 37. ……..
… … 38. ……..
32. …… 35. …… 39. ……..
… … 40. ……..

IV. Workout
1. …………
a) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

b) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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3. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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