A graph showing how the effect of a toxin changes as the dose increases.

• A. Toxicity curve
• B. Dose-effect curve
• C. Dose-response curve
• D. Response curve

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how the amount of toxin relates to the level of effect observed. A graph that shows this relationship is the dose-response curve. It plots dose on the x-axis and the magnitude of the biological response on the y-axis, illustrating how small doses may produce little or no effect while higher doses produce greater effects, often leveling off at a maximum. This curve also helps identify important points like the dose that causes a defined response in a population or the dose at which toxicity becomes noticeable, which are key in risk assessment.

The other terms are less precise in this context. A toxicity curve isn’t a standard label for this relationship, and a dose-effect curve is used less consistently than the widely accepted dose-response curve. A response curve is too generic and doesn’t explicitly tie the response to dose.