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Biology: Middle School: Grades 6, 7 and 8 Quiz - Clinical Trial (Questions)

This Biology quiz is called 'Clinical Trial' and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at middle school. Playing educational quizzes is a fabulous way to learn if you are in the 6th, 7th or 8th grade - aged 11 to 14.

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Drugs affect our body chemistry and are used in a variety of different ways to help healing - painkillers, antibiotics, vaccines and so on. When new drugs are developed they need to be tested prior to medical use in humans, and seeing how this is done is one part of middle school Biology. Clinical trials involve the large scale testing of drugs on volunteers and provide essential information about their safety and efficacy (how effectively they work). During clinical trials, the volunteers are monitored closely and any side effects can be discovered too.

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Clinical trials need to be carried out under carefully controlled conditions in order not to come to the wrong conclusions and jeopardize patients' safety. In a blind trial, the best method of testing, the patients do not know whether they are being given the drug or a placebo. A placebo is something that looks like the drug but actually contains no active ingredients. In some trials, neither the doctors nor the patients know who has taken what until the trial is over. This is a very good way of filtering out any errors.

In the 1950s, a drug called thalidomide was being developed and testing was done on people with respiratory diseases. After some clinical trials it was also found to be an anti-emetic, in other words, it prevented vomiting. During pregnancy, many women suffering from morning sickness bought the drug. It had never been tested on pregnant women and shortly after it went on sale, some of these women gave birth to badly deformed babies, half of whom died. Following this tragedy, regulations about clinical trials before new drugs could be sold were changed, in order to avoid something like this occuring in the future. Thalidomide is still being used but as an anti-cancer and anti-leprosy drug, where its safety has been thoroughly ensured.

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1. In a double blind trial, who is allowed to know if the patient has taken the drug?
[ ] Both patients and doctors
[ ] Neither patients or doctors
[ ] Patients know but doctors do not
[ ] Only the doctors know
2. What does a placebo consist of?
[ ] A drug
[ ] No drug
[ ] Salt
[ ] Water
3. Which word describes the effectiveness of a drug?
[ ] Its efficacy
[ ] Its ethics
[ ] Its dose
[ ] Its authority
4. Before clinical trials, which of the following are new drugs not tested on for toxicity?
[ ] Cells
[ ] Humans
[ ] Tissues
[ ] Animals
5. The drug thalidomide was banned because it caused which side effect?
[ ] Heart problems
[ ] Kidney disease
[ ] Limb deformities
[ ] Deafness
6. Statins are drugs which lower the blood concentration of what?
[ ] Cholesterol
[ ] Amino acids
[ ] Glucose
[ ] Insulin
7. Which of the following is a reason that patients must stop taking a prescribed drug?
[ ] If the benefits outweigh the side effects
[ ] If the drug has been shown not to work
[ ] If no toxicity is observed
[ ] If the optimum dose is achieved
8. During a clinical trial, variables need to be controlled including age, state of health and what else?
[ ] Gender
[ ] Temperature
[ ] Hair color
[ ] pH
9. A sample of what is taken when athletes are routinely drug tested?
[ ] A sample of hair
[ ] A sample of blood
[ ] A sample of feces
[ ] A sample of muscle
10. New drugs are all tested for efficacy, toxicity, dosage and what else?
[ ] Safety
[ ] Variables
[ ] Placebo
[ ] Double blind
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Biology: Middle School: Grades 6, 7 and 8 Quiz - Clinical Trial (Answers)
1. In a double blind trial, who is allowed to know if the patient has taken the drug?
[ ] Both patients and doctors
[x] Neither patients or doctors
[ ] Patients know but doctors do not
[ ] Only the doctors know
If the patient and doctors know they are being treated with the drug, this may influence their perception of the effects of the drug
2. What does a placebo consist of?
[ ] A drug
[x] No drug
[ ] Salt
[ ] Water
A placebo must resemble the drug being tested so that clinical trial volunteers don't guess that they are not taking the real thing
3. Which word describes the effectiveness of a drug?
[x] Its efficacy
[ ] Its ethics
[ ] Its dose
[ ] Its authority
Clinical trials are also used to determine the minimum dose needed for the drug to be effective
4. Before clinical trials, which of the following are new drugs not tested on for toxicity?
[ ] Cells
[x] Humans
[ ] Tissues
[ ] Animals
It is a legal requirement for drugs to be tested on animals for toxicity
5. The drug thalidomide was banned because it caused which side effect?
[ ] Heart problems
[ ] Kidney disease
[x] Limb deformities
[ ] Deafness
Other effects included deformed eyes, hearts, alimentary and urinary tracts, blindness and deafness. It was withdrawn from sale but not until at least 10,000 people around the world had been affected
6. Statins are drugs which lower the blood concentration of what?
[x] Cholesterol
[ ] Amino acids
[ ] Glucose
[ ] Insulin
High cholesterol is linked to heart disease. Eating a diet that is not balanced can increase the risk of suffering from high cholesterol levels. Some scientists have found that exercise can help to balance cholesterol levels in the blood but more research is needed
7. Which of the following is a reason that patients must stop taking a prescribed drug?
[ ] If the benefits outweigh the side effects
[x] If the drug has been shown not to work
[ ] If no toxicity is observed
[ ] If the optimum dose is achieved
With current laws, it is unlikely that a drug would ever reach the market unless it is shown to be effective
8. During a clinical trial, variables need to be controlled including age, state of health and what else?
[x] Gender
[ ] Temperature
[ ] Hair color
[ ] pH
It is possible that a drug could affect women differently to men
9. A sample of what is taken when athletes are routinely drug tested?
[ ] A sample of hair
[x] A sample of blood
[ ] A sample of feces
[ ] A sample of muscle
Drug testing may be carried out on blood or urine samples
10. New drugs are all tested for efficacy, toxicity, dosage and what else?
[x] Safety
[ ] Variables
[ ] Placebo
[ ] Double blind
New drugs are first tested for safety using computer models and then on non-human animals. Volunteers in clinical trials are carefully monitored just in case it proves to be unsafe for humans despite the previous research