Computers in preclinical data analysis MCQs With Answer

Computers in preclinical data analysis MCQs With Answer

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Computers in preclinical data analysis are essential tools for B. Pharm students, enabling efficient handling of experimental datasets from animal studies, cell assays, and in vitro pharmacology. This introduction covers key concepts: data acquisition, statistical analysis, data visualization, quality control, bioinformatics, and database management using software such as R, Python, SPSS, GraphPad, and laboratory information management systems (LIMS). Understanding computational methods, basic programming, and statistical tests improves interpretation of dose–response curves, pharmacokinetics, toxicity screening, and in silico modeling. Practical skills in data cleaning, reproducible workflows, and ethical data management prepare students for research and industry roles. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. Which software is widely used for statistical analysis and graphics in preclinical pharmacology?

  • Microsoft Word
  • R
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • AutoCAD

Correct Answer: R

Q2. What is the primary purpose of data normalization in preclinical experiments?

  • To increase sample size
  • To adjust for technical variability and make measurements comparable
  • To delete outliers
  • To change units from metric to imperial

Correct Answer: To adjust for technical variability and make measurements comparable

Q3. Which test is appropriate to compare means between two independent groups when data are approximately normally distributed?

  • Chi-square test
  • Student’s t-test
  • Kruskal–Wallis test
  • Pearson correlation

Correct Answer: Student’s t-test

Q4. Which method controls the false discovery rate when performing multiple hypothesis tests?

  • Bonferroni correction
  • Benjamini–Hochberg procedure
  • Fisher’s exact test
  • Kaplan–Meier method

Correct Answer: Benjamini–Hochberg procedure

Q5. In dose–response analysis, EC50 refers to:

  • The dose producing a toxic effect in 50% of animals
  • The effective concentration producing 50% of maximal response
  • The economic cost for 50 experiments
  • The equilibrium constant of binding

Correct Answer: The effective concentration producing 50% of maximal response

Q6. Which plot is most useful for visualizing distribution and central tendency of a continuous variable across groups?

  • Bar chart without error bars
  • Box-and-whisker plot
  • Pie chart
  • Flowchart

Correct Answer: Box-and-whisker plot

Q7. What does AUC (area under the curve) commonly represent in pharmacokinetics?

  • Total drug exposure over time
  • Highest drug concentration observed
  • Time to first adverse event
  • Volume of distribution

Correct Answer: Total drug exposure over time

Q8. Which technique helps reduce dimensionality and reveal major sources of variance in omics or preclinical datasets?

  • Principal component analysis (PCA)
  • T-test
  • Chi-square test
  • Simple moving average

Correct Answer: Principal component analysis (PCA)

Q9. For non-normally distributed continuous data comparing two independent groups, the preferred test is:

  • Mann–Whitney U test
  • Paired t-test
  • Two-way ANOVA
  • Pearson correlation

Correct Answer: Mann–Whitney U test

Q10. Which modeling approach is typically used to fit dose–response curves and estimate EC50/IC50?

  • Linear regression with no transformation
  • Nonlinear logistic (Hill) regression
  • Kaplan–Meier survival analysis
  • Hierarchical clustering

Correct Answer: Nonlinear logistic (Hill) regression

Q11. What is the main advantage of using scripting languages (R/Python) for preclinical data analysis?

  • They do not require any learning
  • They enable reproducible, automated, and customizable workflows
  • They automatically generate manuscripts
  • They replace the need for experimental design

Correct Answer: They enable reproducible, automated, and customizable workflows

Q12. Which of the following is a common method for handling missing data in preclinical datasets?

  • Ignoring missing values always
  • Mean or median imputation, or model-based imputation
  • Replacing with zero for all variables
  • Randomly duplicating other entries

Correct Answer: Mean or median imputation, or model-based imputation

Q13. In data quality control, what does the acronym ALCOA stand for in regulated research?

  • Accurate, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, Attributable
  • Analytical, Logical, Computable, Organized, Archived
  • Always, Logically, Clearly, Often, Archived
  • Automated, Linked, Controlled, Optimized, Accessible

Correct Answer: Accurate, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, Attributable

Q14. Which visualization is best to assess sensitivity and specificity trade-offs for a diagnostic biomarker?

  • Volcano plot
  • ROC curve
  • Box plot
  • Histogram

Correct Answer: ROC curve

Q15. Which clustering method groups samples based on hierarchical relationships and is often shown as a dendrogram?

  • K-means clustering
  • Hierarchical clustering
  • Linear discriminant analysis
  • Principal component regression

Correct Answer: Hierarchical clustering

Q16. Which metric quantifies the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two continuous variables?

  • Spearman rank coefficient
  • P-value
  • Pearson correlation coefficient
  • Hazard ratio

Correct Answer: Pearson correlation coefficient

Q17. In noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analysis, which parameter is directly observed from the concentration–time profile?

  • Clearance estimated by compartmental fit
  • Cmax and Tmax
  • Bioavailability without IV data
  • Number of compartments

Correct Answer: Cmax and Tmax

Q18. Which database/tool is commonly used for sequence similarity searches in bioinformatics?

  • BLAST
  • GraphPad Prism
  • Excel Solver
  • SPSS

Correct Answer: BLAST

Q19. What is a primary benefit of using a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) in preclinical labs?

  • Eliminates the need for lab personnel
  • Improves sample tracking, metadata capture, and data integrity
  • Automatically writes publications
  • Replaces all statistical analyses

Correct Answer: Improves sample tracking, metadata capture, and data integrity

Q20. Which plot is commonly used to display both magnitude and statistical significance in high-throughput experiments?

  • Heatmap
  • Volcano plot
  • Time-series line plot
  • Pie chart

Correct Answer: Volcano plot

Q21. What is the main reason to log-transform skewed biological data before analysis?

  • To make data less interpretable
  • To stabilize variance and approximate normality
  • To reduce sample size
  • To hide outliers

Correct Answer: To stabilize variance and approximate normality

Q22. When planning experiments, which computational step helps determine the minimum sample size required to detect an effect?

  • Data visualization
  • Sample size calculation (power analysis)
  • Data cleaning
  • Heatmap clustering

Correct Answer: Sample size calculation (power analysis)

Q23. Which post-hoc test is commonly used after one-way ANOVA to compare all pairwise group differences while controlling type I error?

  • Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) test
  • Fisher’s exact test
  • Mann–Whitney U test
  • Bonferroni without adjustment

Correct Answer: Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) test

Q24. Why is version control (e.g., Git) recommended for code and analysis scripts in preclinical research?

  • It deletes old code automatically
  • It enables tracking changes, collaboration, and reproducibility
  • It increases computation speed
  • It converts data to images

Correct Answer: It enables tracking changes, collaboration, and reproducibility

Q25. Which statistical concept reflects the probability that an observed effect is due to chance under the null hypothesis?

  • Confidence interval
  • P-value
  • Effect size
  • Standard deviation

Correct Answer: P-value

Q26. In high-throughput screening, what is Z’-factor used to assess?

  • Statistical power of a t-test
  • Assay quality and dynamic range for screening suitability
  • Number of replicates required
  • Sequence alignment quality

Correct Answer: Assay quality and dynamic range for screening suitability

Q27. Which file format is commonly used to store tabular experimental data for interoperability?

  • .jpg
  • .csv
  • .mp3
  • .exe

Correct Answer: .csv

Q28. What is the advantage of using RMarkdown or Jupyter notebooks for analysis reports?

  • They prevent anyone else from reading the analysis
  • They integrate code, results, and narrative for reproducible reporting
  • They are only for image editing
  • They automatically eliminate the need for peer review

Correct Answer: They integrate code, results, and narrative for reproducible reporting

Q29. Which approach helps detect and handle outliers objectively in a dataset?

  • Visual inspection only without criteria
  • Statistical methods such as IQR rule or robust regression diagnostics
  • Always removing highest values arbitrarily
  • Replacing outliers with zeros

Correct Answer: Statistical methods such as IQR rule or robust regression diagnostics

Q30. Which ethical and regulatory consideration is critical when managing preclinical animal data?

  • Posting raw data publicly without context
  • Ensuring anonymized, accurate metadata, adherence to animal welfare and GLP/GCP principles
  • Altering data to fit hypotheses
  • Using personal emails to store uncontrolled datasets

Correct Answer: Ensuring anonymized, accurate metadata, adherence to animal welfare and GLP/GCP principles

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