After working this problem out, we know that 3x + 1 is not a total factor of the dividend, because there is a remainder.
When you divide a polynomial by another polynomial, if there is a remainder, it is not a complete factor.
<h3><u>After dividing, we are left with: 2x^3 - 2x - 4 + (3/(3x + 1))</u></h3>
There is a remainder of 3.