Every so often, a question will appear in an examination paper somewhere which is a little bit "off the beaten track" and causes huge consternation and distress to students attempting to solve it. As I've said many times in this book the secret to attacking a question is to understand what the question is actually asking you for, and only then should you try to answer it. Many students have misinterpreted the question and given fantastic answers to completely the wrong thing, attracting no marks in the process.


When I have looked at these questions, which invariably pop up on social media, the first thing I ask myself is "were they taught similar level questions in class?" There is a strategy to answering these questions, and if you've experienced it in class you should be okay. I have, however, sometimes experienced what I have come to call "advanced level questions based on a lower level teaching" which isn't intended to be a slight on the teachers, it just makes me wonder sometimes if this type of question has been covered. I hope that when you start looking at these questions you will understand what I mean by "the advanced level question and the lower level classroom work".


It should be mentioned that in these questions, I will really "go to town" on the explanation which will make each question and its explanation technically long enough to belong to its own chapter. All I would advise you to do, is take this into account and work through the explanation slowly and carefully.


But first of all, have a go at solving these.......!