ParaPro Assesment Practice Exam

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a prime number?

1. It is greater than 1

2. It has exactly two factors

3. It is only divisible by itself and 1

4. It has more than two factors

The correct answer is: It has more than two factors

A prime number is defined as a natural number greater than 1 that has exactly two distinct factors: 1 and itself. This means that a prime number can only be evenly divided by these two factors. The first characteristic states that a prime number must be greater than 1, which aligns with the basic definition of a prime number. The second characteristic emphasizes that it must have exactly two factors, and the third characteristic specifies that these factors are only itself and 1. All these characteristics accurately describe prime numbers. In contrast, the characteristic that indicates a prime number has more than two factors fundamentally contradicts the definition of a prime number. By definition, having more than two factors would classify the number as a composite number rather than a prime. Therefore, the assertion that a prime number has more than two factors is not only inaccurate, it directly denies the essential properties that define prime numbers.