Check all of the possible first steps in factoring a polynomial with four terms.

A polynomial with four terms can first be simplified by factoring out a greatest common factor (GCF), if one is shared by all terms. If there is no useful GCF, factor by grouping: arrange the four terms in pairs, factor each pair, and look for a common binomial. The other choices apply directly to particular forms such as cubes, differences of squares, or three-term perfect squares, not generally to a four-term polynomial.

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