Good warehousing practices and materials management MCQs With Answer

Good warehousing practices and materials management MCQs With Answer provide B.Pharm students with essential knowledge on pharmaceutical storage, inventory control, and supply chain quality. This concise guide covers key concepts such as Good Warehousing Practices (GWP), GMP overlap, storage conditions, cold chain management, FIFO/FEFO, documentation, traceability, validation, pest control, and safety. Emphasis is on maintaining product integrity, regulatory compliance, and efficient materials handling to support quality assurance and patient safety. Practical topics include temperature mapping, quarantine procedures, batch segregation, labels, and computerized inventory systems. These MCQs reinforce learning and prepare students for real-world pharmacy operations. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. Which principle ensures that the oldest stock is used before newer stock to minimize expiry losses?

• First Expiry First Out (FEFO)
• Last In First Out (LIFO)
• Random Access
• First In First Out (FIFO)

Correct Answer: First In First Out (FIFO)

Q2. What is the primary objective of Good Warehousing Practices (GWP) in pharmaceuticals?

• Maximize warehouse profits
• Ensure product safety, quality and traceability
• Reduce staff headcount
• Speed up manufacturing processes

Correct Answer: Ensure product safety, quality and traceability

Q3. Which of the following is a critical environmental parameter for temperature-sensitive drug storage?

• Lux level
• Relative humidity
• Magnetic field strength
• Sound level

Correct Answer: Relative humidity

Q4. What does FEFO stand for and when is it preferred over FIFO?

• First Expiry First Out; preferred for expiry-dated materials
• Fastest Entry Fast Out; preferred for bulk goods
• First Entry First Out; preferred for sterile items
• Final Expiry Final Out; preferred for long-term stock

Correct Answer: First Expiry First Out; preferred for expiry-dated materials

Q5. Which document specifies storage conditions, handling precautions, and shelf life for a pharmaceutical batch?

• Batch Manufacturing Record (BMR)
• Master Formula Card
• Certificate of Analysis (CoA)
• Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Correct Answer: Certificate of Analysis (CoA)

Q6. What is the purpose of quarantine area in a pharmaceutical warehouse?

• Store fast-moving products
• Temporary storage for incoming batches pending release
• Holding returned empty packaging
• Mixing different lots for uniformity

Correct Answer: Temporary storage for incoming batches pending release

Q7. Which practice improves traceability of materials in the warehouse?

• Manual tally sheets only
• Use of barcodes or RFID linked to batch records
• Storing everything on open pallets without labels
• Rotation of staff weekly

Correct Answer: Use of barcodes or RFID linked to batch records

Q8. In temperature mapping of a cold room, what is the main goal?

• Determine staff movement patterns
• Identify temperature distribution and hotspots/cold spots
• Measure electrical consumption of compressors
• Test alarm volume

Correct Answer: Identify temperature distribution and hotspots/cold spots

Q9. Which inventory control method uses safety stock and reorder point calculations?

• Kanban only
• Periodic review without calculations
• Continuous inventory control
• Just-in-case with no monitoring

Correct Answer: Continuous inventory control

Q10. What is a critical record to maintain for rejected or returned pharmaceutical batches?

• Stock transfer note
• Rejected material record with quarantine and disposition details
• Production schedule
• Payroll register

Correct Answer: Rejected material record with quarantine and disposition details

Q11. Which of these is a key element of materials handling safety in warehouses?

• Untrained use of forklifts to save time
• Regular equipment maintenance and staff training
• Stacking heavy loads on top levels without support
• Ignoring load capacity signs

Correct Answer: Regular equipment maintenance and staff training

Q12. What is the role of temperature and humidity monitoring systems in pharmaceutical storage?

• They provide cosmetic information only
• They ensure environmental conditions remain within validated limits and trigger alarms
• They replace the need for validation
• They are used only during inspections

Correct Answer: They ensure environmental conditions remain within validated limits and trigger alarms

Q13. Which regulatory concept overlaps with Good Warehousing Practices in pharmaceuticals?

• Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)
• Good Agricultural Practice (GAP)
• Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)
• Good Clinical Practice (GCP)

Correct Answer: Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)

Q14. What is the recommended action when a temperature excursion is detected for stored products?

• Ignore if short duration
• Investigate, record, assess impact on product quality, and take corrective action
• Immediately dispose of all stock without assessment
• Reset the alarm and continue normal operations

Correct Answer: Investigate, record, assess impact on product quality, and take corrective action

Q15. Which practice reduces the risk of cross-contamination in a pharmaceutical warehouse?

• Mixed storage of incompatible materials on the same shelf
• Segregated storage areas and dedicated equipment for incompatible substances
• Open bins for all materials
• Using the same cleaning cloths across areas

Correct Answer: Segregated storage areas and dedicated equipment for incompatible substances

Q16. What is the function of warehouse layout design in materials management?

• Maximize travel time for workers
• Optimize flow, minimize handling, and improve safety and traceability
• Increase storage of expired products
• Create confusing paths to secure stock

Correct Answer: Optimize flow, minimize handling, and improve safety and traceability

Q17. Which documentation supports the chain of custody for a pharmaceutical batch from receipt to dispatch?

• Only verbal confirmation
• Material receipt, inventory records, movement logs and dispatch documents
• Supplier marketing brochure
• Employee timesheets

Correct Answer: Material receipt, inventory records, movement logs and dispatch documents

Q18. For cold chain logistics, which element is essential to maintain product quality during transport?

• Insulated packaging and temperature-controlled vehicles with monitoring
• Standard cardboard boxes without insulation
• Storing products in sun-exposed vehicles
• Transport without documentation

Correct Answer: Insulated packaging and temperature-controlled vehicles with monitoring

Q19. Which KPI is commonly used to measure warehouse inventory accuracy?

• Order picking speed only
• Inventory accuracy percentage (system vs physical count)
• Number of forklifts
• Employee break times

Correct Answer: Inventory accuracy percentage (system vs physical count)

Q20. What is the importance of stability study data in determining warehouse storage conditions?

• It provides marketing claims
• It defines validated storage temperatures, humidity, and shelf life for products
• It is unrelated to storage
• It only applies to clinical trials

Correct Answer: It defines validated storage temperatures, humidity, and shelf life for products

Q21. Which of the following is a key step in receiving raw materials to ensure compliance?

• Immediate mixing without checks
• Verification against purchase order, visual inspection and sampling for testing
• Storing randomly in main warehouse
• Ignoring supplier documentation

Correct Answer: Verification against purchase order, visual inspection and sampling for testing

Q22. Which practice is essential to prevent pest infestation in pharmaceutical warehouses?

• Food allowed in storage aisles
• Regular pest control program and good housekeeping
• Leaving doors open at night
• Storing products directly on the floor

Correct Answer: Regular pest control program and good housekeeping

Q23. What is the role of validation in warehouse equipment like cold rooms and monitoring systems?

• Validation is optional for critical equipment
• To demonstrate equipment performs as intended and maintains required conditions
• Only for auditing aesthetics
• Replace routine maintenance

Correct Answer: To demonstrate equipment performs as intended and maintains required conditions

Q24. Which inventory method helps reduce holding costs by ordering only what is needed?

• Just-in-Time (JIT)
• Permanent overstocking
• Yearly bulk purchasing without review
• Random ordering

Correct Answer: Just-in-Time (JIT)

Q25. In materials management, what does batch segregation prevent?

• Efficient picking
• Mix-up of different lots and cross-contamination
• Faster shipping
• Accurate accounting only

Correct Answer: Mix-up of different lots and cross-contamination

Q26. Which action should be taken if a received material lacks a certificate of analysis?

• Accept and use immediately
• Place material in quarantine and request CoA from supplier before release
• Sell the material to another party
• Ignore documentation requirements

Correct Answer: Place material in quarantine and request CoA from supplier before release

Q27. Which technology enhances accuracy and speed of picking and reduces human errors?

• Paper-based picking lists only
• Voice picking, barcode scanning or RFID systems
• Random manual selection
• Handwritten labels without verification

Correct Answer: Voice picking, barcode scanning or RFID systems

Q28. What is a critical consideration when storing hazardous pharmaceutical materials?

• Store them in general finished-goods area
• Use dedicated, labeled, ventilated storage with safety data sheets accessible
• Combine with edible products storage
• Ignore PPE requirements for handlers

Correct Answer: Use dedicated, labeled, ventilated storage with safety data sheets accessible

Q29. Which practice supports regulatory inspections and product recalls?

• Poor documentation and missing batch records
• Robust record-keeping, traceability and batch segregation
• Discarding old records regularly
• Mixing records among employees

Correct Answer: Robust record-keeping, traceability and batch segregation

Q30. What is the best approach for disposal of expired or rejected pharmaceutical materials?

• Dispose without documentation
• Follow documented destruction procedures with witness, record and environmental compliance
• Dump into general waste bins
• Return to active inventory after dilution

Correct Answer: Follow documented destruction procedures with witness, record and environmental compliance

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