Animal husbandry practices MCQs With Answer is a focused resource for M.Pharm students preparing for exams and research work involving laboratory animals. Proper husbandry affects physiology, behavior and therefore the validity and reproducibility of pharmacological and toxicological studies. This set of multiple-choice questions emphasizes the intersection of animal care, experimental design and biostatistics — covering ethical principles (3Rs), ARRIVE guidelines, randomization, blinding, sample-size considerations, housing variables, humane endpoints and appropriate statistical choices. Practicing these MCQs will strengthen your ability to design rigorous animal experiments, identify confounders, select suitable analyses, and report findings transparently to meet regulatory and ethical standards.
Q1. Why is standardizing animal husbandry variables important in experimental research?
- To reduce experimental variability and confounding
- To increase the number of animals needed for a study
- To make experiments more expensive
- To ensure animals gain weight rapidly
Correct Answer: To reduce experimental variability and confounding
Q2. What do the 3Rs of ethical animal research stand for?
- Replacement, Reduction, Refinement
- Reuse, Replicate, Randomize
- Reduce, Rehome, Record
- Refinement, Repetition, Reporting
Correct Answer: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement
Q3. What is the main purpose of the ARRIVE guidelines?
- To improve reporting quality of animal research
- To mandate analgesia for all studies
- To set housing temperatures for all species
- To outline veterinary staffing levels
Correct Answer: To improve reporting quality of animal research
Q4. What bias is primarily reduced by randomizing allocation of animals to treatment groups?
- Selection bias in allocation
- Measurement bias from instruments
- Publication bias in journals
- Observer bias during assessment
Correct Answer: Selection bias in allocation
Q5. What is the main purpose of blinding in animal experiments?
- To reduce observer/assessment bias
- To conceal animal strain information
- To increase sample size
- To improve cage sanitation
Correct Answer: To reduce observer/assessment bias
Q6. Which factors are required for calculating sample size for an animal study?
- Effect size, alpha level, desired power and estimated variance
- Number of cages, animal color, feed brand and technician
- Age of investigator, study duration, and drug cost
- Housing temperature, humidity, light cycle and enrichment
Correct Answer: Effect size, alpha level, desired power and estimated variance
Q7. Why is an acclimatization period recommended before starting experiments?
- Allow animals to recover from transport and stabilize physiological parameters before experiments
- To increase the aggressiveness of animals
- To train animals to perform complex tasks
- To reduce the need for randomization
Correct Answer: Allow animals to recover from transport and stabilize physiological parameters before experiments
Q8. What is the primary scientific benefit of environmental enrichment?
- Improve animal welfare and promote natural behaviors, reducing stress-related variability
- Ensure uniform body weights across groups
- Increase the likelihood of infection in colonies
- Prevent the need for veterinary care
Correct Answer: Improve animal welfare and promote natural behaviors, reducing stress-related variability
Q9. How can inappropriate cage density act in an experiment?
- Can alter physiology and behavior, acting as a confounding variable
- Guarantees identical results between labs
- Has no measurable effect on outcomes
- Always improves data quality
Correct Answer: Can alter physiology and behavior, acting as a confounding variable
Q10. What defines a humane endpoint in animal studies?
- A pre-defined criterion to end or euthanize an animal to prevent undue suffering
- A time when the experimenter gets tired
- The moment a drug shows maximal efficacy
- Any death occurring during the study
Correct Answer: A pre-defined criterion to end or euthanize an animal to prevent undue suffering
Q11. What is a commonly accepted guideline for single blood collection volume in most rodents?
- Up to 10% of total blood volume in a single draw for most rodents
- Up to 50% of body weight
- No more than 0.01% of total blood volume
- Any volume is acceptable if anesthesia is used
Correct Answer: Up to 10% of total blood volume in a single draw for most rodents
Q12. Which is a key risk associated with oral gavage in small animals?
- Risk of gavage-related aspiration and esophageal injury
- Guaranteed reduction of variability
- Improved palatability of test compounds
- Prevention of all dosing errors
Correct Answer: Risk of gavage-related aspiration and esophageal injury
Q13. How does a randomized block design improve an experiment?
- Controls variability from known nuisance factors by blocking
- Removes the need for any statistical analysis
- Ensures only one treatment is tested
- Allows non-random assignment of animals
Correct Answer: Controls variability from known nuisance factors by blocking
Q14. What is the principal advantage of a crossover design in animal studies?
- Each animal acts as its own control, reducing between-subject variability
- It eliminates carryover effects automatically
- Requires no washout period
- Is ideal when treatments cause permanent changes
Correct Answer: Each animal acts as its own control, reducing between-subject variability
Q15. What does a factorial design primarily allow investigators to do?
- Evaluation of multiple factors and their interactions simultaneously
- Limit studies to a single variable only
- Ensure blinding is unnecessary
- Replace the need for randomization
Correct Answer: Evaluation of multiple factors and their interactions simultaneously
Q16. What is the role of sentinel animals in a laboratory colony?
- To monitor colony health and detect infectious agents
- To act as experimental controls for all studies
- To increase genetic diversity
- To replace the need for veterinary checks
Correct Answer: To monitor colony health and detect infectious agents
Q17. Kaplan–Meier analysis is most appropriate for which type of data?
- Analyzing time-to-event (survival) data
- Comparing means of normally distributed variables
- Testing associations between categorical variables only
- Measuring correlation between two continuous variables
Correct Answer: Analyzing time-to-event (survival) data
Q18. When should non-parametric statistical tests be used?
- When data are not normally distributed or are ordinal
- Only when sample size exceeds 1000
- For normally distributed interval data exclusively
- When variables are measured on a ratio scale with homoscedasticity
Correct Answer: When data are not normally distributed or are ordinal
Q19. What is the purpose of applying a Bonferroni correction?
- To control family-wise type I error rate when performing multiple comparisons
- To increase the chance of type I errors
- To correct measurement errors in laboratory equipment
- To adjust animal housing densities
Correct Answer: To control family-wise type I error rate when performing multiple comparisons
Q20. Why is reporting baseline characteristics of animal groups important?
- To demonstrate group comparability and identify potential confounders
- Only to meet journal word counts
- To ensure that no randomization was performed
- To obscure differences between treatment effects
Correct Answer: To demonstrate group comparability and identify potential confounders
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