A ____ is taken into the body or administered in a manner other than through the digestive tract, as by IV or IM injection.

• A. Enteral
• B. Parenteral
• C. Oral
• D. Sublingual

Answer: (B)

Parenteral administration refers to delivering a drug by routes that bypass the digestive tract, such as injections or infusions directly into the bloodstream or tissues. This matches the description of being taken into the body in a manner other than through the digestive tract, with IV and IM injections as classic examples. In contrast, oral administration involves swallowing a drug to be absorbed from the GI tract, and sublingual absorption occurs through the mouth and can still be considered part of GI mucosal absorption, so they are not parenteral. Thus, the best term for the blank is parenteral.