Introduction to tablets MCQs With Answer

Introduction to tablets MCQs With Answer

This concise introduction covers tablet fundamentals tailored for B.Pharm students: tablet formulation, excipients (diluents, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, glidants), compression principles, granulation techniques (wet, dry, direct compression), coating, disintegration and dissolution testing, and critical quality attributes such as hardness, friability, content uniformity and stability. Emphasis is placed on manufacturing parameters, process optimization, and formulation strategies for immediate and modified-release tablets. Keywords: tablets, tablet formulation, excipients, compression, disintegration, dissolution, granulation, coating, quality control, B.Pharm. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. Which excipient is primarily used to facilitate powder flow and reduce interparticle friction during tablet manufacturing?

• Talc
• Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)
• Magnesium stearate
• Povidone

Correct Answer: Magnesium stearate

Q2. Direct compression is most suitable for powders that are:

• Highly moisture sensitive and require wet granulation
• Free-flowing and compressible
• Poorly compressible but easily granulated
• Formulated with thermolabile actives requiring heat

Correct Answer: Free-flowing and compressible

Q3. Which of the following is a common binder used in wet granulation?

• Sodium starch glycolate
• Povidone (PVP)
• Colloidal silicon dioxide
• Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP)

Correct Answer: Povidone (PVP)

Q4. The primary purpose of a disintegrant in a tablet is to:

• Enhance compressibility
• Improve tablet flavor
• Promote breakup of the tablet in aqueous media
• Reduce friability

Correct Answer: Promote breakup of the tablet in aqueous media

Q5. Which test is used to assess a tablet’s mechanical strength by subjecting tablets to abrasion?

• Dissolution test
• Friability test
• Disintegration test
• Hardness test

Correct Answer: Friability test

Q6. A tablet fails content uniformity if:

• All tablets weigh exactly the same
• The average API content is within specification but individual tablets vary widely
• Disintegration time is longer than specified
• Hardness is below the limit

Correct Answer: The average API content is within specification but individual tablets vary widely

Q7. Which coating polymer is commonly used for immediate-release film coating?

• Ethylcellulose
• Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)
• Cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP)
• Polyvinyl acetate phthalate (PVAP)

Correct Answer: Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)

Q8. In wet granulation, the main role of the binder solution is to:

• Act as a disintegrant
• Improve powder flow and form granules by adhesion
• Reduce tablet dissolution rate
• Increase tablet porosity only

Correct Answer: Improve powder flow and form granules by adhesion

Q9. Which parameter is directly measured by a tablet hardness tester?

• Friability percentage
• Crushing strength or breaking force
• Disintegration time
• Uniformity of content

Correct Answer: Crushing strength or breaking force

Q10. The USP dissolution apparatus commonly used for tablets that sink is:

• Apparatus 1 (basket)
• Apparatus 2 (paddle)
• Apparatus 3 (reciprocating cylinder)
• Apparatus 4 (flow-through cell)

Correct Answer: Apparatus 2 (paddle)

Q11. Which excipient acts primarily to reduce adhesion of formulation powders to punches and dies?

• Crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone
• Magnesium stearate
• Lactose monohydrate
• Microcrystalline cellulose

Correct Answer: Magnesium stearate

Q12. Moisture-sensitive APIs are best processed by which method to avoid hydrolytic degradation?

• Wet granulation with aqueous binder
• Direct compression or dry granulation
• Hot-melt extrusion at high temperatures
• Solution coating with water-based systems

Correct Answer: Direct compression or dry granulation

Q13. Which parameter describes powder flowability and is calculated from tapped and bulk densities?

• Angle of repose
• Hausner ratio
• pKa value
• Compressibility index (Carr’s index)

Correct Answer: Compressibility index (Carr’s index)

Q14. Enteric coatings are applied to tablets to:

• Mask taste only
• Prevent release in the stomach and allow release in the intestine
• Increase tablet hardness
• Accelerate immediate dissolution in the stomach

Correct Answer: Prevent release in the stomach and allow release in the intestine

Q15. Which tablet defect is characterized by a central depression formed during compression?

• Capping
• Lamination
• Pitting
• Chipping

Correct Answer: Pitting

Q16. The Heckel equation is used to analyze which property of powders during compaction?

• Moisture sorption
• Compressibility and densification behavior
• pH-dependent solubility
• Thermal stability

Correct Answer: Compressibility and densification behavior

Q17. Which of the following is a superdisintegrant commonly used in tablet formulations?

• Starch 1500
• Sodium starch glycolate
• Microcrystalline cellulose PH 102
• Hydroxypropyl cellulose

Correct Answer: Sodium starch glycolate

Q18. In rotary tablet presses, the dwell time influences:

• Tablet color only
• Compression force and tablet hardness development
• The amount of lubricant required
• Granule particle size

Correct Answer: Compression force and tablet hardness development

Q19. Which analytical technique is commonly used to detect polymorphic form changes in API during tablet processing?

• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
• X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD)
• Karl Fischer titration
• Friabilator testing

Correct Answer: X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD)

Q20. Which lubricant can negatively affect tablet dissolution if overused due to hydrophobic coating of particles?

• Colloidal silicon dioxide
• Magnesium stearate
• Sodium lauryl sulfate
• Sorbitol

Correct Answer: Magnesium stearate

Q21. A controlled-release matrix tablet commonly uses which polymer to retard drug release?

• Polyethylene glycol (PEG 400)
• Ethylcellulose
• Sodium chloride
• Magnesium carbonate

Correct Answer: Ethylcellulose

Q22. Which test determines the time required for a tablet to break down into particles that pass through a specified mesh under specified conditions?

• Disintegration test
• Dissolution test
• Friability test
• Assay test

Correct Answer: Disintegration test

Q23. Which property of granules is most improved by wet granulation compared to direct compression?

• Chemical stability against oxidation
• Particle size distribution uniformity and flowability
• Intrinsic dissolution rate of the API
• Enteric protection

Correct Answer: Particle size distribution uniformity and flowability

Q24. For coating uniformity and adhesion, what is the main role of plasticizers in film coating formulations?

• Increase drug potency
• Improve film flexibility and reduce brittleness
• Act as disintegrants
• Increase tablet porosity

Correct Answer: Improve film flexibility and reduce brittleness

Q25. What is the main rationale for adding glidants like colloidal silicon dioxide to oral tablet blends?

• Speed up dissolution
• Improve powder flow by reducing interparticle friction
• Serve as a primary binder
• Act as a preservative

Correct Answer: Improve powder flow by reducing interparticle friction

Q26. Which in-process control ensures correct die filling and consistent tablet weight on a rotary press?

• Monitoring tablet weight (weight variation)
• Measuring friability only at batch end
• Checking coating color
• Performing HPLC assay continuously

Correct Answer: Monitoring tablet weight (weight variation)

Q27. Osmotic pump tablets release drug primarily by:

• Diffusion through a rate-controlling membrane
• Immediate disintegration in gastric fluid
• Osmotically driven water influx generating pressure
• Surface erosion of a hydrophobic matrix

Correct Answer: Osmotically driven water influx generating pressure

Q28. Which parameter indicates the tendency of powder to form a stable heap and is measured as the steepest angle of repose?

• Hausner ratio
• Angle of repose
• Carr’s index
• Porosity

Correct Answer: Angle of repose

Q29. Tablet capping and lamination are often caused by:

• Excessive compression force only
• Poor powder binding, air entrapment, or inadequate granule strength
• Use of enteric coatings
• Proper lubrication and glidant levels

Correct Answer: Poor powder binding, air entrapment, or inadequate granule strength

Q30. Which stability study condition is typically used for accelerated stability testing of tablets according to ICH guidelines?

• 5°C and 30% RH
• 25°C and 60% RH
• 40°C and 75% RH
• 50°C and 0% RH

Correct Answer: 40°C and 75% RH

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