Antibiotics & drug discovery
Edexcel GCSE Biology revision on Antibiotics & drug discovery. Aligned to the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Biology 1BI0 specification. This bank has 5 practice questions on this topic.
Sample questions (3 of 5)
-
Question 1
Why are antibiotics ineffective against viral infections such as the common cold?
- A) Viruses lack a cell wall
- B) Viruses replicate inside
- C) Viruses have protein coats
- D) Viruses mutate too quickly
Show answer
Answer: Viruses lack a cell wall
Antibiotics are designed to disrupt processes specific to bacteria, such as the synthesis of a peptidoglycan cell wall or protein production within bacterial ribosomes. Since viruses are not cells and lack these specific structures, antibiotics have no target to act upon, rendering them useless against viral pathogens.
-
Question 2
Which stage of clinical drug trials is specifically used to identify the optimum dosage and potential side effects in a small group of healthy volunteers?
- A) Phase one clinical trials
- B) Preclinical lab testing
- C) Double blind test phase
- D) Phase two patient tests
Show answer
Answer: Phase one clinical trials
Preclinical testing occurs in the lab on cells, tissues, and animals. Once safe, phase one clinical trials use a small group of healthy volunteers to determine if the drug is safe for humans, identify side effects, and find the correct dosage before testing on patients who have the target disease.
-
Question 3
What is the primary purpose of using a placebo in a double-blind drug trial?
- A) To monitor patient health
- B) To account for bias effects
- C) To boost the immune system
- D) To ensure patient comfort
Show answer
Answer: To account for bias effects
The placebo effect occurs when a patient feels better simply because they believe they are receiving treatment. By using a placebo in a double-blind trial, researchers can distinguish the actual physiological effects of the medicine from the psychological expectations of both the patient and the doctor.
Want to test yourself on the remaining cards for this topic?
2 more questions on Antibiotics & drug discovery — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole Biology spec.