Conflicts in ethical principles MCQs With Answer

Introduction

This quiz collection, “Conflicts in Ethical Principles MCQs With Answer,” is designed for M.Pharm students studying Research Methodology & Biostatistics. It focuses on real-world ethical conflicts that commonly arise in clinical research and pharmacy practice — for example, tensions between autonomy and beneficence, confidentiality versus public safety, equipoise and therapeutic obligation, and issues of justice in resource allocation. Each question tests conceptual understanding, regulatory reasoning, and practical decision-making required for responsible researchers and clinicians. The questions are scenario-driven and aimed to deepen your ability to identify, analyze, and resolve ethical dilemmas encountered during drug development, trials, and patient care.

Q1. When a competent patient refuses a potentially life-saving experimental therapy, which principle primarily guides the researcher’s response?

• Override the refusal to maximize benefit
• Respect the patient’s autonomous decision
• Seek assent from family members to proceed
• Immediately withdraw the patient from the trial

Correct Answer: Respect the patient’s autonomous decision

Q2. A researcher discovers a serious, previously unknown risk during an ongoing clinical trial. Which ethical obligation conflicts most directly with maintaining scientific validity?

• Continuing recruitment to preserve statistical power
• Stopping the trial to protect participant safety
• Altering the protocol without IRB approval
• Withholding the information to avoid panic

Correct Answer: Continuing recruitment to preserve statistical power

Q3. Which situation best exemplifies a conflict between confidentiality and public health protection?

• Publishing de-identified trial results in a journal
• Reporting a participant’s communicable disease to health authorities
• Discussing case details with another researcher under NDA
• Storing participant records on encrypted servers

Correct Answer: Reporting a participant’s communicable disease to health authorities

Q4. In placebo-controlled trials where an effective standard therapy exists, the ethical conflict is primarily between which two principles?

• Confidentiality and transparency
• Nonmaleficence and beneficence
• Autonomy and informed consent
• Justice and fairness in recruitment

Correct Answer: Nonmaleficence and beneficence

Q5. Equipoise in clinical research can be disrupted when an investigator develops a strong personal belief about the superiority of one arm. This conflict is an example of:

• Conflict between justice and autonomy
• Investigator bias conflicting with scientific validity
• Violation of confidentiality of interim results
• Regulatory non-compliance due to inadequate consent

Correct Answer: Investigator bias conflicting with scientific validity

Q6. Offering large monetary payments to recruit participants for a risky Phase I trial may create an ethical conflict known as:

• Therapeutic misconception
• Undue inducement
• Equitable selection
• Data fabrication

Correct Answer: Undue inducement

Q7. When a clinician is also the principal investigator, the dual-role conflict most commonly challenges which duty?

• Duty to maintain blinding
• Duty to prioritize patient care over research objectives
• Duty to report adverse events promptly
• Duty to secure funding ethically

Correct Answer: Duty to prioritize patient care over research objectives

Q8. A participant consents to a trial due to misunderstanding the research purpose and expecting therapeutic benefit. This is called:

• Coercion
• Assent
• Therapeutic misconception
• Informed refusal

Correct Answer: Therapeutic misconception

Q9. Prioritizing distribution of a limited investigational drug to trial participants over the broader needy population raises a conflict between:

• Autonomy and confidentiality
• Beneficence towards participants and justice for the wider population
• Equipoise and scientific validity
• Regulatory compliance and scientific freedom

Correct Answer: Beneficence towards participants and justice for the wider population

Q10. An institutional review board member has stock in the sponsoring company. The ethical conflict here is primarily about:

• Data privacy
• Financial conflict of interest compromising impartial review
• Therapeutic misconception among subjects
• Inadequate sample size determination

Correct Answer: Financial conflict of interest compromising impartial review

Q11. In emergency research where informed consent cannot be obtained, the main ethical tension is between:

• Scientific rigor and publication speed
• Respect for persons (autonomy) and potential to save lives (beneficence)
• Intellectual property rights and data sharing
• Nonmaleficence and confidentiality

Correct Answer: Respect for persons (autonomy) and potential to save lives (beneficence)

Q12. Releasing interim trial data to the sponsor before an independent DSMB review can conflict with which ethical principle?

• Justice in participant selection
• Scientific integrity and trial validity
• Respect for cultural norms
• Informed consent comprehension

Correct Answer: Scientific integrity and trial validity

Q13. A researcher must decide whether to breach confidentiality to report suspected child abuse. The ethical justification is based mainly on:

• Respect for autonomy
• Legal duty and protection of vulnerable individuals
• Maintaining participant trust
• Preserving study blinding

Correct Answer: Legal duty and protection of vulnerable individuals

Q14. When cultural norms limit direct consent from women in a community, researchers should primarily:

• Ignore local customs and enforce written consent only
• Use culturally sensitive approaches while ensuring individual informed consent
• Obtain consent from community leaders in place of individuals
• Exclude all women from the study to avoid conflicts

Correct Answer: Use culturally sensitive approaches while ensuring individual informed consent

Q15. Publication pressure that leads to selective reporting of positive results creates an ethical conflict between:

• Beneficence and nonmaleficence
• Scientific integrity and career advancement
• Participant confidentiality and data access
• Equipoise and randomization

Correct Answer: Scientific integrity and career advancement

Q16. A trial protocol proposes including economically disadvantaged participants because they are easily available. This raises a primary ethical concern about:

• Undue inducement
• Exploitation and unfair selection
• Insufficient statistical power
• Excessive monitoring costs

Correct Answer: Exploitation and unfair selection

Q17. Sharing de-identified participant datasets publicly can conflict with participant interests when:

• De-identification prevents any future research use
• There is a realistic risk of re-identification and privacy breach
• Data sharing accelerates discovery
• Consent forms fully described all future data uses

Correct Answer: There is a realistic risk of re-identification and privacy breach

Q18. An investigator under pressure from a sponsor shortens follow-up visits to reduce costs. Which ethical principles are primarily compromised?

• Justice and equipoise
• Participant safety (nonmaleficence) and scientific validity
• Confidentiality and autonomy
• Informed consent and compensation

Correct Answer: Participant safety (nonmaleficence) and scientific validity

Q19. When compensating participants for research-related injuries, a conflict may arise between providing full restitution and:

• Preserving blinding
• Sponsor financial constraints and insurance limits
• Maintaining equipoise
• Ensuring randomization integrity

Correct Answer: Sponsor financial constraints and insurance limits

Q20. A clinician-researcher who withholds information about a minor side effect to avoid participant dropout is violating which ethical obligations?

• Only scientific objectivity
• Informed consent and nonmaleficence
• Data sharing policies
• Trial registration requirements

Correct Answer: Informed consent and nonmaleficence

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