Step 1: Find the differences between consecutive terms: 6 − 2 = 4, 12 − 6 = 6, 20 − 12 = 8, 30 − 20 = 10. Step 2: The differences themselves increase by 2 (4, 6, 8, 10), so the next difference is 12. Step 3: Next term = 30 + 12 = 42. Step 4: Alternative view: the terms are 1×2, 2×3, 3×4, 4×5, 5×6, so the next is 6×7 = 42 ✓. Answer: 42.