Institutional Animal Ethics Committee – role and composition MCQs With Answer

Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) – role and composition MCQs With Answer

Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) plays a central role in ensuring ethical use of animals in research and teaching for B. Pharm students. This introduction explains IAEC composition, regulatory responsibilities, protocol review, monitoring, record‑keeping, and implementation of the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine). It covers key functions such as harm–benefit assessment, animal welfare standards, facility inspection, training of staff, anesthesia and euthanasia oversight, and compliance with national regulations like CPCSEA and international guidelines. Understanding IAEC procedures, member roles, and decision-making processes helps pharmacy students design humane experimental protocols and prepares them for institutional compliance. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What is the primary purpose of an Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC)?

• To manage institutional finances for animal procurement
• To ensure ethical review and animal welfare in institutional research
• To publish institutional animal research outcomes
• To recruit students for animal experiments

Correct Answer: To ensure ethical review and animal welfare in institutional research

Q2. The “3Rs” principle promoted by IAEC stands for which combination?

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• Replace, Reduce, Refine
• Review, Report, Regulate
• Refuse, Restrain, Return

Correct Answer: Replace, Reduce, Refine

Q3. Which of the following is commonly required as part of IAEC composition?

• A chairperson who is independent and non‑affiliated with the institution
• Only faculty members from the same research department
• External funding agency representative as the chair
• Student representatives exclusively

Correct Answer: A chairperson who is independent and non‑affiliated with the institution

Q4. The Member Secretary of an IAEC typically performs which role?

• Coordinates IAEC meetings, documentation, and communication
• Provides external audit services to the institution
• Approves budgets for animal experiments
• Recruits animals from vendors

Correct Answer: Coordinates IAEC meetings, documentation, and communication

Q5. During protocol review, IAEC assesses which of the following?

• Scientific validity and justification for animal use
• Market potential of the experimental drug
• Personal opinions of students about the study
• Advertising strategy for research outcomes

Correct Answer: Scientific validity and justification for animal use

Q6. In India, which regulatory authority’s norms are IAECs expected to follow?

• FDA (United States)
• CPCSEA (Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals)
• EMA (European Medicines Agency)
• WHO Ethics Review Board

Correct Answer: CPCSEA (Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals)

Q7. Which of the following is NOT a typical IAEC responsibility?

• Ethical review of animal use protocols
• Periodic inspection of animal housing and care
• Approving institutional recruitment advertisements
• Monitoring compliance with welfare standards

Correct Answer: Approving institutional recruitment advertisements

Q8. Which practice best exemplifies the ‘Replace’ principle of the 3Rs?

• Using a larger number of animals to increase statistical power
• Substituting an in vitro cell culture model for an in vivo animal test
• Refining surgical technique to reduce pain
• Improving cage enrichment to reduce stress

Correct Answer: Substituting an in vitro cell culture model for an in vivo animal test

Q9. Which IAEC member provides technical advice on animal health, anesthesia, and clinical care?

• Institutional legal advisor
• Facility procurement officer
• Veterinary surgeon or institutional veterinarian
• Lay community representative

Correct Answer: Veterinary surgeon or institutional veterinarian

Q10. The ARRIVE guidelines are primarily concerned with which aspect of animal research?

• Regulatory licensing of animal facilities
• Reporting standards for animal research to improve reproducibility
• Veterinary care protocols only
• Marketing animal‑derived products

Correct Answer: Reporting standards for animal research to improve reproducibility

Q11. A “humane endpoint” in an animal study refers to:

• A financial limit for study costs
• The point at which an animal is removed or euthanized to prevent unnecessary suffering
• The final publication milestone
• The time when a student graduates from the program

Correct Answer: The point at which an animal is removed or euthanized to prevent unnecessary suffering

Q12. Which IAEC decision is appropriate regarding pain and distress in animals?

• Require use of analgesics and anesthetics unless scientifically justified otherwise
• Prohibit any anesthesia because it alters experimental data
• Leave pain management decisions solely to students
• Mandate pain without documentation

Correct Answer: Require use of analgesics and anesthetics unless scientifically justified otherwise

Q13. Environmental enrichment required by IAEC aims to:

• Increase experimental variability intentionally
• Enhance animal well‑being by allowing natural behaviors
• Reduce the need for trained staff
• Promote rapid reproduction for supply

Correct Answer: Enhance animal well‑being by allowing natural behaviors

Q14. Post‑approval monitoring by IAEC commonly includes:

• Randomized clinical trials in humans
• Facility inspections and protocol compliance checks
• Marketing the research to industry partners
• Student performance evaluations unrelated to protocols

Correct Answer: Facility inspections and protocol compliance checks

Q15. Which record is essential for IAEC to maintain?

• Minutes of IAEC meetings and decisions
• Confidential personal notes of committee members only
• Only the list of approved students without protocols
• Daily menus of the cafeteria

Correct Answer: Minutes of IAEC meetings and decisions

Q16. How should IAEC handle confidential scientific information in protocols?

• Publish all protocol details immediately
• Maintain confidentiality while ensuring ethical review
• Disclose to the general public without redaction
• Refuse to review any protocol containing confidential data

Correct Answer: Maintain confidentiality while ensuring ethical review

Q17. Selection of euthanasia method should be based on:

• Species, welfare considerations, and scientific objectives
• Cost alone, regardless of humaneness
• Convenience for students only
• Traditional practices without evaluation

Correct Answer: Species, welfare considerations, and scientific objectives

Q18. Use of wild‑caught animals in research requires:

• No justification because wild animals are readily available
• Clear scientific justification and additional welfare considerations
• Automatic approval by IAEC without review
• Immediate release after capture without assessment

Correct Answer: Clear scientific justification and additional welfare considerations

Q19. IAEC responsibilities related to training include:

• Ensuring investigators and animal care staff receive appropriate training in humane handling and procedures
• Certifying students as veterinarians
• Providing marketing training for research outcomes
• Training staff only in administrative bookkeeping

Correct Answer: Ensuring investigators and animal care staff receive appropriate training in humane handling and procedures

Q20. If a research team is found non‑compliant with approved protocol, IAEC can:

• Take no action and ignore the breach
• Suspend or withdraw approval until corrective actions are implemented
• Automatically publish the breach on social media
• Transfer the project to another institution without review

Correct Answer: Suspend or withdraw approval until corrective actions are implemented

Q21. A quorum in IAEC meetings is important because it:

• Ensures sufficient and diverse expertise for ethical decisions
• Reduces the time available for discussion
• Makes meetings more exclusive and secretive
• Allows a single member to make binding decisions

Correct Answer: Ensures sufficient and diverse expertise for ethical decisions

Q22. When analgesics may affect experimental outcomes, IAEC should:

• Automatically deny the protocol
• Require a scientific justification and evaluate alternatives to minimize distress
• Ignore animal welfare to preserve data purity
• Allow experiments without any oversight

Correct Answer: Require a scientific justification and evaluate alternatives to minimize distress

Q23. Which IAEC member represents the non‑scientific or public perspective?

• Animal facility technician
• Lay person, social scientist, or philosopher
• Principal investigator from the same lab
• Vendor supplying laboratory equipment

Correct Answer: Lay person, social scientist, or philosopher

Q24. Which of the following is essential in an IAEC protocol submission?

• Detailed plan for anesthesia, analgesia, and humane endpoints
• Promotional brochure for the study
• Marketing plan for results commercialization
• List of preferred journal reviewers

Correct Answer: Detailed plan for anesthesia, analgesia, and humane endpoints

Q25. Which institutional document typically guides procedure‑specific humane actions (e.g., euthanasia, surgery)?

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Student graduation requirements
• Marketing strategy document
• Payroll manual

Correct Answer: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Q26. External oversight for animal experiments in India is provided by which body?

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• CPCSEA (Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals)
• European Commission
• International Red Cross

Correct Answer: CPCSEA (Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals)

Q27. Who typically represents ethical or legal perspectives on an IAEC?

• An ethics expert or legal advisor independent of the research team
• A lab undergraduate without experience
• The vendor supplying animals
• The department janitor

Correct Answer: An ethics expert or legal advisor independent of the research team

Q28. Which ethical principle is central to IAEC decision‑making?

• Maximizing publication count irrespective of welfare
• Minimizing pain, distress and ensuring animal welfare while achieving scientific aims
• Prioritizing institutional publicity over ethics
• Replacing all oversight with automated approvals

Correct Answer: Minimizing pain, distress and ensuring animal welfare while achieving scientific aims

Q29. Who is primarily responsible for day‑to‑day animal care in an institutional animal facility?

• Animal facility in‑charge and trained animal care staff
• External marketing consultants
• Principal investigator only, without staff
• Random volunteers from outside the institution

Correct Answer: Animal facility in‑charge and trained animal care staff

Q30. After IAEC approval, if a researcher wants to change the surgical method significantly, they should:

• Proceed immediately and inform IAEC only after completion
• Submit an amendment for IAEC review and approval before implementing the change
• Assume changes are allowed without oversight
• Publish the change without IAEC notification

Correct Answer: Submit an amendment for IAEC review and approval before implementing the change

G S Sachin

I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.

Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com