Pharmacognosy explores natural sources of drugs, covering botanical, zoological and microbial products, their chemistry, bioactivity, and quality control. For B.Pharm students, understanding the scope of pharmacognosy is vital for drug discovery, phytochemistry, herbal drug standardization, pharmacognostic evaluation, and regulatory compliance. This discipline integrates ethnobotany, taxonomy, extraction techniques, analytical methods (HPTLC, HPLC, spectroscopy), and modern tools like DNA barcoding to authenticate and standardize medicinal plants and natural products. Strong skills in pharmacognosy enable careers in research, quality assurance, herbal formulation, and safety assessment. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.
Q1. Which statement best defines the scope of pharmacognosy?
- Study of synthetic drugs and their large-scale manufacturing
- Study of drugs from natural sources including their biological, chemical, and physical properties
- Study of clinical trial design for new chemical entities
- Study of statistical methods in pharmaceutical research
Correct Answer: Study of drugs from natural sources including their biological, chemical, and physical properties
Q2. Which branch of pharmacognosy focuses on relationships between plant chemistry and taxonomy?
- Phytochemistry
- Ethnopharmacology
- Chemotaxonomy
- Micropharmacognosy
Correct Answer: Chemotaxonomy
Q3. Which analytical technique is most commonly used for fingerprinting herbal extracts for quality control?
- UV-visible spectrophotometry only
- High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC)
- Simple boiling point determination
- Wet chemical titration
Correct Answer: High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC)
Q4. Which parameter is NOT a routine pharmacognostic evaluation for powdered crude drugs?
- Microscopic characteristics
- Ash values
- Extractive values
- DNA microarray gene expression profiling
Correct Answer: DNA microarray gene expression profiling
Q5. Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) are important in pharmacognosy because they:
- Guarantee 100% pharmacological efficacy of herbal medicines
- Provide guidelines for cultivation, collection, and handling to ensure quality of raw materials
- Replace the need for analytical testing of finished products
- Dictate clinical dosing regimens for herbal products
Correct Answer: Provide guidelines for cultivation, collection, and handling to ensure quality of raw materials
Q6. Which class of natural products is characterized by nitrogen-containing basic compounds often with marked pharmacological activity?
- Terpenoids
- Alkaloids
- Flavonoids
- Saponins
Correct Answer: Alkaloids
Q7. Which test is used to estimate the inorganic residue remaining after incineration of a plant drug?
- Loss on drying
- Acid value
- Ash value
- pH measurement
Correct Answer: Ash value
Q8. DNA barcoding in pharmacognosy is primarily used for:
- Measuring active constituent concentration
- Authentication of plant species and detection of adulteration
- Estimating moisture content
- Determining melting point of isolated compounds
Correct Answer: Authentication of plant species and detection of adulteration
Q9. Ethnopharmacology contributes to pharmacognosy by:
- Providing chemical synthesis routes for natural products
- Documenting traditional medicinal uses that guide bioprospecting and drug discovery
- Standardizing modern clinical trial endpoints
- Replacing the need for phytochemical analysis
Correct Answer: Documenting traditional medicinal uses that guide bioprospecting and drug discovery
Q10. Which extraction method is most suitable to preserve thermolabile constituents?
- Soxhlet extraction with prolonged heating
- Cold maceration or percolation at room temperature
- Dry distillation at high temperatures
- Boiling under reflux for several hours
Correct Answer: Cold maceration or percolation at room temperature
Q11. Marker compounds in herbal standardization refer to:
- Any impurity detected in the sample
- Active or characteristic constituents used for quality control and identity
- Only toxic constituents that require removal
- Inert excipients used in formulation
Correct Answer: Active or characteristic constituents used for quality control and identity
Q12. Which of the following is a key objective of pharmacognostic microscopy?
- Measuring the solubility of active constituents
- Identifying diagnostic anatomical and cellular features of plant drugs
- Quantifying pharmacokinetic parameters
- Determining dissolution rate of tablets
Correct Answer: Identifying diagnostic anatomical and cellular features of plant drugs
Q13. Which phytochemical test is used as a preliminary screening for phenolic compounds and tannins?
- Dragendorff’s reagent
- Ferric chloride test
- Kedde’s reagent
- Liberman–Burchard test
Correct Answer: Ferric chloride test
Q14. Which regulatory document provides monographs and quality standards for herbal medicines internationally?
- WHO guidelines on herbal quality and safety
- USP-NF only for synthetic drugs
- International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines only
- Patent specifications
Correct Answer: WHO guidelines on herbal quality and safety
Q15. Which technique provides structural information and molecular weight for isolated natural products?
- Thin-layer chromatography (TLC)
- Mass spectrometry (MS)
- Organoleptic evaluation
- Mercury intrusion porosimetry
Correct Answer: Mass spectrometry (MS)
Q16. Phytochemical bioprospecting mainly aims to:
- Grow herbal plants commercially without analysis
- Explore biodiversity to discover novel bioactive compounds for drug development
- Replace traditional knowledge with synthetic libraries
- Standardize marketing claims for herbal supplements
Correct Answer: Explore biodiversity to discover novel bioactive compounds for drug development
Q17. Which of the following is a common bioassay used in pharmacognosy for preliminary activity screening?
- Disk diffusion antimicrobial assay
- High-throughput genomics only
- Clinical randomized controlled trial
- Population-based epidemiology
Correct Answer: Disk diffusion antimicrobial assay
Q18. Which parameter helps detect adulteration of powdered herbal drugs by addition of inorganic materials?
- Extractive value
- Total ash and acid-insoluble ash
- pH only
- Loss on ignition at 50°C
Correct Answer: Total ash and acid-insoluble ash
Q19. Marine pharmacognosy differs from terrestrial pharmacognosy mainly because it:
- Uses only plant-derived compounds
- Explores marine organisms (sponges, algae, microbes) as sources of unique bioactive metabolites
- Does not require analytical standardization
- Is limited to nutritional supplements
Correct Answer: Explores marine organisms (sponges, algae, microbes) as sources of unique bioactive metabolites
Q20. Which compound class is commonly associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in plants?
- Alkaloids
- Flavonoids
- Polypeptides only
- Inorganic salts
Correct Answer: Flavonoids
Q21. Which parameter indicates the amount of solvent-soluble constituents in a crude drug?
- Moisture content
- Extractive value
- Acid-insoluble ash
- Bulk density
Correct Answer: Extractive value
Q22. HPLC is preferred over TLC in pharmacognosy when the objective is to:
- Perform rapid qualitative spot tests only
- Obtain precise quantitative estimation of specific marker compounds
- Identify macroscopic features of herbs
- Measure total ash content
Correct Answer: Obtain precise quantitative estimation of specific marker compounds
Q23. Which concept addresses adverse interactions between herbal constituents and conventional drugs?
- Herb–drug interaction
- Organoleptic compatibility
- Phytoremediation
- Formulation stability
Correct Answer: Herb–drug interaction
Q24. Which of the following is a key ethical consideration in pharmacognosy and bioprospecting?
- Ignoring local community knowledge
- Benefit-sharing and prior informed consent from indigenous communities
- Patent everything without disclosures
- Destroying habitats for sample collection
Correct Answer: Benefit-sharing and prior informed consent from indigenous communities
Q25. Which technique can separate complex mixtures of plant metabolites for further isolation?
- Column chromatography
- Microscopy
- Organoleptic testing
- Moisture analysis
Correct Answer: Column chromatography
Q26. In pharmacognostic documentation, a voucher specimen is important because it:
- Is a certificate of purity issued by regulators
- Serves as a preserved plant sample that verifies identity for future reference
- Is only required for synthetic drugs
- Measures the therapeutic potency of the herb
Correct Answer: Serves as a preserved plant sample that verifies identity for future reference
Q27. Which safety assessment is specifically important for herbal products with potential heavy metal contamination?
- Pharmacokinetic modeling
- Heavy metal analysis (Pb, Cd, Hg, As)
- Determination of extractive values
- Loss on drying
Correct Answer: Heavy metal analysis (Pb, Cd, Hg, As)
Q28. Which of the following best describes standardization of herbal medicines?
- Ensuring every batch is identical to synthetic drugs
- Establishing consistent quality by quantifying marker compounds and setting specifications for identity, purity, and strength
- Eliminating all natural variability through genetic modification
- Using only macroscopic features to accept raw material
Correct Answer: Establishing consistent quality by quantifying marker compounds and setting specifications for identity, purity, and strength
Q29. Which modern technique helps in rapid profiling of many metabolites simultaneously (metabolomics) in pharmacognosy?
- Naked eye organoleptic test
- LC–MS or GC–MS based metabolomics
- Simple acid-base titration
- Moisture content apparatus only
Correct Answer: LC–MS or GC–MS based metabolomics
Q30. Which career area is NOT directly related to the scope of pharmacognosy for a B.Pharm graduate?
- Herbal drug research and development
- Quality control and standardization of natural products
- Clinical pharmacy exclusively focused on hospital dispensing without herbal knowledge
- Regulatory affairs for botanical products
Correct Answer: Clinical pharmacy exclusively focused on hospital dispensing without herbal knowledge
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