Many atoms per unit cell question 2.7

In this excercise they expect you to know about Bloch’s theorem already according to the answers, because how else are you supposed to know that there arises another factor (-1)^n in the periodic eigenstate when k=pi/a?

You don’t really need the Bloch’s theorem here. The factor (-1)^n comes directly from the plane wave ansatz in question 2:

\phi_n=\phi_0 e^{ikna}, \qquad \psi_n=\psi_0 e^{ikna}.

In question 7 we evaluate the wavefunction at

k=\frac{\pi}{a}.

Substituting this gives

e^{ikna}=e^{i\pi n}=(-1)^n,

because n is an integer. So neighboring unit cells have opposite signs: plus, minus, plus, minus, etc.

This is why the solution writes

|\Psi_\pm(k=\pi/a)\rangle = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\sum_n (-1)^n \left(|n,1\rangle \pm |n,2\rangle\right).

Bloch’s theorem is indeed a more universal way to get to this idea, but the plane-wave Ansatz used in this exercise is already enough.