Graphical representation and reporting of preclinical data MCQs With Answer

Graphical representation and reporting of preclinical data MCQs With Answer

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Graphical representation and reporting of preclinical data is essential for B. Pharm students to present in vitro and in vivo results clearly and reproducibly. This introduction covers data visualization principles, common plot types (bar charts, box plots, scatter plots, histograms, Kaplan–Meier, PK concentration–time curves), error bars (SD vs SEM), normalization, replicates, statistical tests, and regulatory reporting (GLP, raw data, figure legends). Good graphs communicate distribution, variability, effect size, and significance while avoiding misleading scaling or selective presentation. Mastering these topics helps in preparing publication-quality figures and accurate reports for pharmacology, toxicology, ADME, and bioanalytical studies. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. Which graphical representation most clearly displays the distribution, median, interquartile range and outliers of preclinical quantitative data?

  • Bar chart with mean and SD
  • Scatter plot with regression line
  • Box plot
  • Pie chart

Correct Answer: Box plot

Q2. Which plot is most appropriate to show the relationship between two continuous variables measured in a drug-response assay?

  • Histogram
  • Scatter plot
  • Box plot
  • Pie chart

Correct Answer: Scatter plot

Q3. For displaying mean plasma concentration versus time after dosing in a PK study, the best choice is:

  • Kaplan–Meier curve
  • Line graph with connected means and error bars
  • Bar chart of mean concentrations
  • Histogram of concentration values

Correct Answer: Line graph with connected means and error bars

Q4. When representing frequency distribution of a continuous variable like tumor volume, which graph is appropriate?

  • Histogram
  • Bar chart of categories
  • Scatter plot
  • Kaplan–Meier plot

Correct Answer: Histogram

Q5. Which error bar type represents variability among individual observations in a sample?

  • Standard error of the mean (SEM)
  • Standard deviation (SD)
  • 95% confidence interval of the mean
  • Interquartile range (IQR)

Correct Answer: Standard deviation (SD)

Q6. What does SEM (standard error of the mean) primarily quantify in reported preclinical graphs?

  • Distribution spread of individual data points
  • Precision of the estimated sample mean
  • Range between minimum and maximum values
  • Biological variability between subjects

Correct Answer: Precision of the estimated sample mean

Q7. Which plotting choice is most suitable to compare proportions or counts across treatment groups?

  • Line graph
  • Bar chart
  • Box plot
  • Kaplan–Meier curve

Correct Answer: Bar chart

Q8. For skewed pharmacokinetic concentration data spanning several orders of magnitude, which axis transformation is commonly used?

  • Square transformation
  • Logarithmic scale
  • Reciprocal transformation
  • No transformation; use raw scale

Correct Answer: Logarithmic scale

Q9. Which graph is specifically designed for displaying time-to-event (survival) data in preclinical studies?

  • Kaplan–Meier survival curve
  • Histogram
  • Scatter plot
  • Box plot

Correct Answer: Kaplan–Meier survival curve

Q10. When preparing a figure for publication, which element is essential to include on each axis?

  • Only the variable name without units
  • Units of measurement and axis label
  • Colored ticks for aesthetics
  • Legend repeated on the axis

Correct Answer: Units of measurement and axis label

Q11. In reporting preclinical graphical results, best practice for p-values is to:

  • Report only “p < 0.05” for all tests
  • Provide exact p-values and state the statistical test used
  • Omit p-values and report only significance stars
  • Round all p-values to integers

Correct Answer: Provide exact p-values and state the statistical test used

Q12. Which describes a biological replicate in preclinical experiments?

  • Multiple measurements of the same sample extract
  • Independent samples derived from different animals or cultures
  • Repeated readings by the same instrument on one sample
  • Duplicate wells of the same culture plate

Correct Answer: Independent samples derived from different animals or cultures

Q13. For comparing means of two independent groups with normally distributed data, the appropriate statistical test is:

  • Chi-square test
  • Paired t-test
  • Independent (unpaired) Student’s t-test
  • Mann–Whitney U test

Correct Answer: Independent (unpaired) Student’s t-test

Q14. When comparing three or more group means, which analysis is typically used before post-hoc tests?

  • Two-sample t-test
  • One-way ANOVA
  • Kaplan–Meier analysis
  • Mann–Whitney U test

Correct Answer: One-way ANOVA

Q15. Which post-hoc correction controls the family-wise error rate and is conservative for multiple comparisons?

  • Tukey’s HSD
  • Benjamini–Hochberg FDR
  • Bonferroni correction
  • No correction required

Correct Answer: Bonferroni correction

Q16. Which metric quantifies the magnitude of a treatment effect independent of sample size?

  • p-value
  • Cohen’s d (effect size)
  • Standard error
  • Sample size (n)

Correct Answer: Cohen’s d (effect size)

Q17. Which practice is acceptable when adjusting images (e.g., microscopy) for presentation?

  • Altering contrast locally to remove background artefacts selectively
  • Adjusting brightness/contrast uniformly across the entire image and noting it in the legend
  • Cloning areas to hide negative results
  • Combining images from different experiments without disclosure

Correct Answer: Adjusting brightness/contrast uniformly across the entire image and noting it in the legend

Q18. In a box plot using the common convention, what do the whiskers represent?

  • Mean ± SD
  • Minimum and maximum values always
  • Values within 1.5 × IQR from the quartiles, with outliers shown individually
  • Median ± SEM

Correct Answer: Values within 1.5 × IQR from the quartiles, with outliers shown individually

Q19. Which plot choice and annotation best communicates both central tendency and variability for skewed data?

  • Mean ± SEM bar chart
  • Box plot showing median and IQR
  • Pie chart of means
  • Kaplan–Meier curve

Correct Answer: Box plot showing median and IQR

Q20. What is the Area Under the Curve (AUC) in pharmacokinetics used to describe?

  • Maximum concentration (Cmax) only
  • Total drug exposure over time
  • Time to reach maximum concentration (Tmax)
  • Clearance rate directly

Correct Answer: Total drug exposure over time

Q21. Which approach improves reproducibility when generating figures from analytical software?

  • Using manual screenshot edits for final polish
  • Documenting code, software versions, and analysis parameters for figure generation
  • Omitting raw data to protect confidentiality
  • Keeping only the final image without underlying data files

Correct Answer: Documenting code, software versions, and analysis parameters for figure generation

Q22. For dose–response curves to determine IC50, what plotting and analysis practice is recommended?

  • Plot raw replicates without curve fitting
  • Fit nonlinear regression to normalized data and report confidence intervals for IC50
  • Use linear regression on untransformed data
  • Report only the dose with highest response

Correct Answer: Fit nonlinear regression to normalized data and report confidence intervals for IC50

Q23. When visualizing multiple groups over time with repeated measures, which graph and analysis are appropriate?

  • Independent t-tests at each timepoint without correction
  • Line plots with mean ± SEM and repeated measures ANOVA or mixed-effects model
  • Pie charts for each timepoint
  • Box plots ignoring time dimension

Correct Answer: Line plots with mean ± SEM and repeated measures ANOVA or mixed-effects model

Q24. Which color choice practice enhances accessibility for readers with color vision deficiency?

  • Rely on red and green contrasts only
  • Use colorblind-friendly palettes (e.g., ColorBrewer) and shape or pattern differences
  • Use very light pastels for all curves
  • Use unlabeled colored lines without legends

Correct Answer: Use colorblind-friendly palettes (e.g., ColorBrewer) and shape or pattern differences

Q25. What should be included in a figure legend for preclinical data to ensure clear reporting?

  • Only a title and no methodological details
  • Sample size (n), definition of error bars, statistical tests, and brief methods
  • Confidential raw data values
  • Only the p-value without method description

Correct Answer: Sample size (n), definition of error bars, statistical tests, and brief methods

Q26. When data are non-normally distributed, which summary statistic and test are generally recommended?

  • Mean with SD and t-test
  • Median with IQR and a nonparametric test such as Mann–Whitney U
  • Mean with SEM and ANOVA
  • Use linear regression regardless

Correct Answer: Median with IQR and a nonparametric test such as Mann–Whitney U

Q27. In preclinical reporting, what does “n” typically denote when shown on a graph?

  • Number of technical replicates only
  • Number of independent biological samples or animals per group
  • Number of data points after pooling all experiments
  • Number of figures in the paper

Correct Answer: Number of independent biological samples or animals per group

Q28. Which statistical measure describes the proportion of variance in the dependent variable explained by a linear model?

  • p-value
  • R-squared (R²)
  • Standard deviation
  • Interquartile range

Correct Answer: R-squared (R²)

Q29. For reporting preclinical studies to regulatory bodies under GLP, what is required for graphical data submission?

  • Only high-resolution images without metadata
  • Complete raw data, analysis procedures, software versions, and audit trails where applicable
  • Only summarized figures with no supporting data
  • Hand-drawn sketches of graphs

Correct Answer: Complete raw data, analysis procedures, software versions, and audit trails where applicable

Q30. Which practice reduces the risk of producing misleading graphs in preclinical research?

  • Truncating axes to exaggerate differences without disclosure
  • Displaying individual data points, reporting sample sizes, and defining error bars and statistical methods
  • Showing only the best-looking replicate
  • Removing outliers from plots without reporting

Correct Answer: Displaying individual data points, reporting sample sizes, and defining error bars and statistical methods

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