The edges of a cube are each 2 inches long. What is the surface area, in square inches, of this cube?

A cube has 6 square faces. Each square face has an area of $(2\text{ in.})^2=4\text{ in.}^2$. Therefore, the cube has a total surface area of $6\times4\text{ in.}^2=\boxed{24}\text{ in.}^2$.