National Tobacco Control Programme MCQs With Answer

Introduction

The National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) is India’s structured public health initiative to reduce tobacco use, morbidity and mortality through prevention, surveillance, enforcement and cessation services. Designed for public health impact, NTCP combines policy tools (COTPA, WHO FCTC alignment), IEC campaigns, monitoring (GATS/GYTS), capacity building and tobacco cessation including pharmacotherapy (NRT, bupropion, varenicline). B.Pharm students should grasp tobacco epidemiology, nicotine dependence, cessation pharmacology, counseling models (5A/5R), and the pharmacist’s role in NTCP implementation and enforcement. Familiarity with MPOWER strategies, pictorial warnings, taxation and enforcement strengthens clinical and community practice. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What is the primary objective of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP)?

• Promote tobacco farming and industry growth
• Reduce tobacco consumption and protect public health
• Subsidize tobacco prices to control black market
• Develop tobacco-based pharmaceuticals

Correct Answer: Reduce tobacco consumption and protect public health

Q2. Which Indian legislation specifically regulates tobacco control measures like public smoking bans and advertising restrictions?

• Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
• Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
• Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003
• Sale of Goods Act, 1930

Correct Answer: Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003

Q3. Which of the following is a core component of NTCP implementation?

• Promotion of new tobacco products
• Tobacco cessation services, IEC and enforcement
• Subsidized distribution of smokeless tobacco
• Exemption of healthcare settings from smoke-free rules

Correct Answer: Tobacco cessation services, IEC and enforcement

Q4. What does the WHO MPOWER package stand for in tobacco control?

• Monitor, Protect, Offer, Warn, Enforce, Raise
• Manage, Prevent, Organize, Warn, Educate, Reduce
• Monitor, Promote, Offer, Repress, Enforce, Reduce
• Measure, Protect, Organize, Warn, Educate, Reduce

Correct Answer: Monitor, Protect, Offer, Warn, Enforce, Raise

Q5. For nicotine dependence, which pharmacotherapy is considered a first-line option commonly used in NTCP-linked cessation services?

• Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
• Benzodiazepines
• Opioid agonists

Correct Answer: Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

Q6. Which of the following is NOT one of the 5 A’s used in brief tobacco cessation interventions?

• Ask
• Advise
• Arrange
• Act

Correct Answer: Act

Q7. Under Indian tobacco law, sale of tobacco products to persons below which age is prohibited?

• 16 years
• 18 years
• 21 years
• 25 years

Correct Answer: 18 years

Q8. What is the main public health purpose of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging?

• To promote brand loyalty among consumers
• To increase sales through attractive imagery
• To inform and motivate cessation by illustrating tobacco harms
• To standardize packaging for manufacturers

Correct Answer: To inform and motivate cessation by illustrating tobacco harms

Q9. What does GATS stand for in tobacco surveillance?

• General Assessment of Tobacco Sales
• Global Adult Tobacco Survey
• Government Anti-Tobacco Strategy
• Global Assessment of Tobacco Science

Correct Answer: Global Adult Tobacco Survey

Q10. What is the commonly used term for involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke by non-smokers?

• Primary smoke exposure
• Secondhand smoke (SHS)
• Self-administered smoke
• Filtered smoke exposure

Correct Answer: Secondhand smoke (SHS)

Q11. Which role best describes how pharmacists contribute to NTCP at the community level?

• Promote tobacco use among youths
• Provide counseling, dispense cessation medications and support community education
• Manufacture smokeless tobacco products
• Ignore tobacco-related queries and refer to industry

Correct Answer: Provide counseling, dispense cessation medications and support community education

Q12. Which chemical in tobacco is primarily responsible for addiction?

• Tar
• Carbon monoxide
• Nicotine
• Formaldehyde

Correct Answer: Nicotine

Q13. Which toxicant is particularly elevated in hookah or waterpipe smoke due to charcoal use?

• Vitamin C
• Carbon monoxide
• Water vapor only
• Oxygen

Correct Answer: Carbon monoxide

Q14. What is the regulatory status of electronic nicotine delivery systems (e-cigarettes) in India under recent policies?

• Fully legal and unregulated
• Restricted only for medical use
• Production, import, trade and sale banned in India since 2019
• Promoted by NTCP as a safer alternative

Correct Answer: Production, import, trade and sale banned in India since 2019

Q15. Which of the following is NOT one of the 5 R’s used to motivate tobacco users who are unwilling to quit?

• Relevance
• Risks
• Rewards
• Resilience

Correct Answer: Resilience

Q16. Which biomarker is most commonly measured to assess recent nicotine exposure?

• Cotinine
• Glucose
• Cholesterol
• Uric acid

Correct Answer: Cotinine

Q17. Which ministry is primarily responsible for implementing NTCP in India?

• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
• Ministry of Agriculture
• Ministry of Commerce

Correct Answer: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)

Q18. Which population-level intervention is considered most effective by WHO to reduce tobacco consumption?

• Increasing taxes on tobacco products
• Providing free cigarettes
• Removing all health warnings
• Lowering legal purchase age to 12 years

Correct Answer: Increasing taxes on tobacco products

Q19. Which counseling technique is evidence-based for enhancing motivation to quit tobacco?

• Punitive admonishment
• Motivational interviewing
• Ignoring the patient’s concerns
• Promising immediate cure without treatment

Correct Answer: Motivational interviewing

Q20. Which of the following is a direct effect of secondhand smoke exposure?

• Reduction in cardiovascular risk
• Increased respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular events
• Improved lung function in children
• Instant immunity to infections

Correct Answer: Increased respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular events

Q21. Which practice is explicitly prohibited under COTPA with regard to tobacco products?

• Direct and indirect advertising of tobacco products
• Printing health warnings on packs
• Providing cessation support in hospitals
• Conducting tobacco surveillance surveys

Correct Answer: Direct and indirect advertising of tobacco products

Q22. What is the name of the standard questionnaire used to assess nicotine dependence severity?

• Beck Depression Inventory
• Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND)
• Hamilton Anxiety Scale
• Mini Mental State Examination

Correct Answer: Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND)

Q23. Which of the following is NOT a component of NTCP?

• Surveillance and monitoring
• Tobacco cessation services
• Promotion of tobacco farming
• IEC and enforcement

Correct Answer: Promotion of tobacco farming

Q24. A national quitline in tobacco control primarily provides what service?

• Retail sales of tobacco products
• Telephone-based cessation support and counseling
• Production of tobacco advertisements
• Free distribution of smokeless tobacco

Correct Answer: Telephone-based cessation support and counseling

Q25. Which cessation medication is a partial agonist at the α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor?

• Bupropion
• Varenicline
• Nifedipine
• Diazepam

Correct Answer: Varenicline

Q26. What is bupropion’s primary pharmacological classification relevant to smoking cessation?

• Beta blocker
• Norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (antidepressant)
• Opioid agonist
• Antihistamine

Correct Answer: Norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (antidepressant)

Q27. Which of the following describes gutka commonly encountered in India?

• A smoked tobacco product only
• A smokeless tobacco mixture containing tobacco and often areca nut
• Pure nicotine gum approved as cessation aid
• Herbal tea with no tobacco content

Correct Answer: A smokeless tobacco mixture containing tobacco and often areca nut

Q28. Which indicator is frequently used to evaluate effectiveness of cessation services?

• Six-month sustained quit rate verified biochemically
• Number of tobacco retailers per square kilometer
• Total tobacco production tonnage
• Number of brand logos on packs

Correct Answer: Six-month sustained quit rate verified biochemically

Q29. Pictorial warnings on tobacco packs most consistently do which of the following in population studies?

• Decrease quit attempts among users
• Increase awareness of health risks and prompt quit attempts
• Eliminate nicotine dependence instantly
• Encourage children to initiate tobacco use

Correct Answer: Increase awareness of health risks and prompt quit attempts

Q30. Who primarily provides financial and administrative support for NTCP activities at the national level?

• Tobacco industry trade associations
• Central and state governments through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Private tobacco retailers
• Local tobacco farming cooperatives

Correct Answer: Central and state governments through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

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