Liquid dosage forms – advantages and disadvantages MCQs With Answer

Introduction

Liquid dosage forms—such as solutions, syrups, elixirs, suspensions, and emulsions—offer key advantages like rapid onset, dose flexibility, improved swallowing for pediatric and geriatric patients, and better bioavailability for poorly compressible drugs. However, disadvantages include chemical and microbial instability, need for preservatives, risk of dosing errors, poor palatability, bulkier packaging, sedimentation or phase separation, and stricter storage requirements. Understanding viscosity modifiers, wetting agents, emulsifiers (HLB), buffers, antioxidants, and appropriate packaging (amber glass, child-resistant caps) is essential for optimizing stability, palatability, and dosing accuracy. Mastering these concepts helps evaluate formulation choices, patient safety, and regulatory aspects like beyond-use dating and in-use stability. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. Which is a principal advantage of oral liquid dosage forms over tablets in pediatrics?

• Improved tablet disintegration
• Reduced first-pass metabolism
• Ease of swallowing and flexible dose titration
• Elimination of taste issues

Correct Answer: Ease of swallowing and flexible dose titration

Q2. Why do oral solutions generally exhibit faster onset than tablets of the same drug?

• They require no dissolution step before absorption
• They bypass hepatic metabolism
• They increase gastric emptying
• They always have higher lipophilicity

Correct Answer: They require no dissolution step before absorption

Q3. The major chemical stability concern for many drugs in aqueous liquid dosage forms is:

• Photolysis only
• Hydrolysis and oxidation
• Racemization
• Polymorphic conversion

Correct Answer: Hydrolysis and oxidation

Q4. A key disadvantage of suspensions compared to solutions is:

• Need for shaking to redisperse sediment
• Lower chemical stability
• Higher risk of crystallization
• Inability to mask taste

Correct Answer: Need for shaking to redisperse sediment

Q5. Which preservative is commonly used in acidic oral liquids to inhibit microbial growth?

• Sodium benzoate
• Calcium carbonate
• Sodium chloride
• Magnesium stearate

Correct Answer: Sodium benzoate

Q6. Emulsions can be advantageous over solutions primarily because they:

• Eliminate the need for preservatives
• Solubilize lipophilic drugs and mask taste
• Never undergo physical instability
• Always increase bioavailability

Correct Answer: Solubilize lipophilic drugs and mask taste

Q7. Which physical instability in emulsions is generally reversible by shaking?

• Cracking
• Coalescence
• Creaming
• Phase inversion

Correct Answer: Creaming

Q8. Which statement best differentiates syrups from elixirs?

• Syrups are hydroalcoholic; elixirs are high-sucrose
• Syrups are high-sucrose; elixirs are hydroalcoholic
• Both are sugar-free
• Both are alcohol-free

Correct Answer: Syrups are high-sucrose; elixirs are hydroalcoholic

Q9. For light-sensitive liquid formulations, the preferred primary packaging is:

• Clear PET bottle
• Amber glass bottle
• Paper sachet
• Aluminum can

Correct Answer: Amber glass bottle

Q10. For accurate dosing of pediatric oral liquids, the best measuring device is:

• Household teaspoon
• Medicine cup
• Dropping pipette
• Oral dosing syringe

Correct Answer: Oral dosing syringe

Q11. Which viscosity modifier commonly imparts pseudoplastic (shear-thinning) behavior to suspensions?

• Lactose
• Xanthan gum
• Sodium chloride
• Talc

Correct Answer: Xanthan gum

Q12. According to Stokes’ law, which action reduces sedimentation rate in suspensions?

• Increasing particle size
• Decreasing dispersion viscosity
• Reducing particle size by micronization
• Increasing density difference between phases

Correct Answer: Reducing particle size by micronization

Q13. Benzoic acid preservatives are most effective when the formulation pH is:

• Much higher than the pKa (highly ionized)
• Equal to the isoelectric point
• Below the pKa (more unionized)
• Always alkaline (pH > 8)

Correct Answer: Below the pKa (more unionized)

Q14. Which cosolvent is widely used to enhance solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs in oral liquids?

• Propylene glycol
• Liquid paraffin
• Magnesium stearate
• Calcium phosphate

Correct Answer: Propylene glycol

Q15. A safety concern with propylene glycol in neonates is:

• Severe hypoglycemia
• Ototoxicity
• Hyperosmolality and CNS depression
• Methemoglobinemia

Correct Answer: Hyperosmolality and CNS depression

Q16. A critical requirement for ophthalmic liquid dosage forms is that they must be:

• Hypertonic and nonsterile
• Slightly acidic and nonsterile
• Sterile and appropriately isotonic
• Alcohol-free and colored

Correct Answer: Sterile and appropriately isotonic

Q17. A disadvantage of sucrose-rich syrups is increased risk of:

• Osmotic diarrhea at low doses
• Dental caries and unsuitability for diabetics
• Protein denaturation
• Immediate crystallization during storage at any temperature

Correct Answer: Dental caries and unsuitability for diabetics

Q18. The general bioavailability trend for the same drug (fasted state) is often:

• Tablet > Capsule > Suspension > Solution
• Solution > Suspension > Capsule > Tablet
• Capsule > Solution > Tablet > Suspension
• Suspension > Solution > Tablet > Capsule

Correct Answer: Solution > Suspension > Capsule > Tablet

Q19. Which antioxidant is commonly used in aqueous oral solutions?

• Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
• Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
• Sodium metabisulfite
• Tocopherol

Correct Answer: Sodium metabisulfite

Q20. A typical wetting agent for hydrophobic drug particles in suspensions is:

• Polysorbate 80 (Tween 80)
• Sodium chloride
• Calcium carbonate
• Magnesium stearate

Correct Answer: Polysorbate 80 (Tween 80)

Q21. For an oil-in-water emulsion, the emulsifier system should generally have:

• Low HLB (3–6)
• High HLB (8–18)
• No hydrophilic-lipophilic balance
• Exactly HLB 2

Correct Answer: High HLB (8–18)

Q22. In suspensions, a higher sedimentation volume (F) generally indicates:

• Poor redispersibility
• Better physical stability and pourability
• Immediate caking
• Higher chemical degradation

Correct Answer: Better physical stability and pourability

Q23. Thixotropy is desirable in suspensions because it provides:

• High viscosity during pouring and low at rest
• Low viscosity at rest; higher under shear for pouring
• High viscosity at rest; low under shear for easy pouring
• Constant viscosity regardless of shear

Correct Answer: High viscosity at rest; low under shear for easy pouring

Q24. If a suspension is not shaken before dosing over time, the most likely clinical issue is:

• Early overdosing followed by underdosing
• Early underdosing followed by overdosing
• No change in dose uniformity
• Immediate toxicity regardless of dose

Correct Answer: Early underdosing followed by overdosing

Q25. “Cracking” of an emulsion refers to:

• Reversible droplet migration
• Irreversible phase separation due to coalescence
• Increase in viscosity under shear
• Reduction in droplet zeta potential

Correct Answer: Irreversible phase separation due to coalescence

Q26. A common approach to improve palatability of bitter drugs in liquids is:

• Adding talc as a flavor
• Incorporating sweeteners and flavors with taste masking
• Reducing viscosity to zero
• Raising pH above 10

Correct Answer: Incorporating sweeteners and flavors with taste masking

Q27. Which is a practical disadvantage of liquid dosage forms for ambulatory patients?

• Lower risk of contamination
• Portability issues, leakage, and bulkiness
• Unlimited shelf life
• Uniform dosing without measuring devices

Correct Answer: Portability issues, leakage, and bulkiness

Q28. Buffering an oral solution primarily helps to:

• Increase particle size
• Maintain pH for stability and taste optimization
• Eliminate need for preservatives
• Ensure isotonicity

Correct Answer: Maintain pH for stability and taste optimization

Q29. For extemporaneously compounded, water-containing oral liquids prepared from solids, the USP recommended beyond-use date (with refrigeration) is:

• 7 days refrigerated
• 14 days refrigerated
• 30 days at room temperature
• 90 days refrigerated

Correct Answer: 14 days refrigerated

Q30. Which storage condition most likely leads to phase separation in emulsions?

• Moderate shaking before each dose
• Freezing and thawing cycles
• Storage at label-recommended temperature
• Protection from light

Correct Answer: Freezing and thawing cycles

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