Explanation:

- You are joining six cubes, each with an edge length of 2 cm.

- When joined end to end, the resulting figure is a cuboid.

- The dimensions of the cuboid are:

- Length: \(6 \times 2 = 12\) cm,

- Width: 2 cm,

- Height: 2 cm.

- The surface area of a cuboid is calculated using the formula:

$$

\text{Surface Area} = 2(lw + lh + wh)

$$

where \(l\), \(w\), and \(h\) are the dimensions of the cuboid.

- So, plug in the dimensions:

$$

\text{Surface Area} = 2(12 \times 2 + 12 \times 2 + 2 \times 2) = 2(24 + 24 + 4) = 2 \times 52 = 104 \text{ cm}^2

$$

- Let's check the options:

- Option 1: 96 cm\(^2\) - Too low.

- Option 2: 144 cm\(^2\) - Too high.

- ?? Option 3: 104 cm\(^2\) - Matches our calculation.

- Option 4: 128 cm\(^2\) - Too high.