Longitudinal shear strength is required to ensure that two components of a beam act compositely in bending. Without the required strength at the interface, each component will be able to move relative to the other and when loaded in bending the two components will each carry some of the bending moment separately, with a much lower overall bending resistance.
This cheat sheet summarises the Eurocode + UK National Annex partial factors and combinations.
Factors for wind and thermal loading make use of the reduced factor assuming that the characteristic load has been calculated using an appropriate return period.
When carrying out the structural analysis in the exam, the combinations can be simplified by stating that you are ignoring loads that do not have a significant effect (often wind).
This cheat sheet has a method for calculating the maximum axial force on a pile group due to an applied bending moment.
It is unlikely that you will need to analyse a bolt group in the exam, unless it is fundamental to your design (for example, if you have a footbridge support cantilevering from a rock face and anchored into the rock).
The cheat sheet contains rules for bolt groups in bending and bolt groups in torsion, as well as bolt capacities.
Footbridges are particularly susceptible to dynamic excitation from pedestrians due to their flexibility and lightweight construction. Steel footbridges are particularly susceptible; composite footbridges are less likely to be affected.