Take the FDA Consumer Quiz

1. In what year did the FDA first require patient package inserts in a drug product?

a. 1945

b. 1960

c. 1970

d. 1982

2. In what year did drug manufacturers first have to show that a drug was safe before it could be marketed?

a. 1920

b. 1938

c. 1945

d. 1962

3. What was the impetus for passage of the Biologics Control Act of 1902?

a. outbreak of polio in a Lake Tahoe summer camp

b. deaths in St. Louis from tetanus contamination of diphtheria antitoxin

c. deaths from hepatitis after plasma transfusions in the Korean War

d. outbreak of Salmonella poisoning at a restaurant in Houston

4. Medical devices are classified and regulated by the FDA according to:

a. their complexity and ease of use

b. their complexity and size

c. their complexity and degree of risk to the public

d. none of the above

5. Microwave ovens are regulated by the FDA. How does the agency classify them?

a. medical device

b. radiation-emitting product

c. computed tomography scanner

d. mechanical device

6. The Cooper Committee was named for the:

a. man who chaired the group

b. building in which the meetings were held

c. organization’s final report

d. scientist who provided the research

7. The FDA’s first device performance standard was developed for which product?

a. microwave oven

b. television

c. pacemaker

d. impact-resistant lenses in eyeglasses and sunglasses

8. What was the name given to the volunteers who tested foods containing measured amounts of borax, salicylic acid, and other chemical preservatives in the early 1900s?

a. the Brave Ones

b. the Poison Squad

c. the Chemical Crew

d. the Fearless Eaters

9. In dollars, what is the value of the domestic foods regulated by the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition?

a. 10 billion dollars

b. 46 billion dollars

c. 120 billion dollars

d. 240 billion dollars

10. In what year was the Nutrition Facts labeling first required on foods by law?

a. 1961

b. 1984

c. 1992

d. 2000

11. The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research serves as the consumer watchdog for roughly how many drugs on the U.S. market?

a. 4,500

b. 11,000

c. 16,000

d. 20,000

12. Which FDA scientists developed the German measles (rubella) vaccine?

a. Parkman and Meyer

b. Sabin and Salk

c. Pittman and Handelman

d. Lewis and Clark

13. Which of the following is not regulated by the FDA’s Center for Biologics and Evaluation Research?

a. human vaccines

b. allergenic patch tests

c. blood and blood products

d. whole organs for transplantation

e. cells and tissues for transplantation

14. What is the transplant of animal cells, tissues, or organs into a human called?

a. gene therapy

b. proteomics

c. animaliac surgery

d. xenotransplantation

15. How many drugs have been approved by the FDA to treat pet dogs, cats, and horses?

a. about 250

b. nearly 500

c. more than 700

d. nearly 1,100

16. When Congress passed the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in 1938, what was the major way it strengthened the FDA’s powers?

a. Manufacturers were required to show that their products were safe before they could sell them.

b. Manufacturers were required to show that their products were effective before they could sell them.

c. Manufacturers were required to show that their products were both safe and effective before they could sell them.

d. Manufacturers didn’t have to show safety or effectiveness of their products, but the FDA could easily pull them off the market.

17. The FDA approved Vetsulin in 2004. What is it and what is it for?

a. an injectable drug for treating veterinarians who contract rabies while treating animals

b. insulin for treating cats with feline leukemia virus

c. insulin for treating dogs with diabetes mellitus

d. insulin for treating pregnant dogs for gestational diabetes

18. The average daily allowance for an FDA inspector to stay one night in a hotel in early 1900 was:

a. $4

b. $14

c. $24

d. $44

19. How many FDA inspectors first started in 1907?

a. 12

b. 21

c. 28

d. 30

20. What was the principle way that drugs were regulated after the 1906 food and drug laws were passed?

a. by state laws

b. by pharmacy associations

c. truthful labeling

d. by the Department of Commerce

21. For what magazine did Harvey W. Wiley work as director of the Bureau of Foods, Sanitation, and Health for 19 years?

a. Cosmopolitan

b. Good Housekeeping

c. Glamour

d. Reader’s Digest

e. Ladies’ Home Journal

Your Score is:

Scoring

18 to 21 points: Excellent! Go to the head of the class.
10 to 17 points: Not too bad. You can skip cleaning the chalkboard erasers today.
9 points and below: Oops! Stay after school and reread the appropriate chapters.

Go to the Answers Page