The shaded region consists of two squares, one inside the other. The larger square has a side length of 2 cm, so its area is 2 cm * 2 cm = 4 cm^2. The smaller square is formed by removing the four corners of the larger square, leaving a smaller square with a side length of 1 cm. Therefore, the area of the smaller square is 1 cm * 1 cm = 1 cm^2. To find the area of the shaded region, we subtract the area of the smaller square from the area of the larger square: 4 cm^2 - 1 cm^2 = 3 cm^2. However, the shaded region consists of two of these smaller squares, so we multiply the result by 2: 3 cm^2 * 2 = 6 cm^2. Therefore, the area of the shaded region is 6 cm^2, which is not one of the given answer choices. Therefore, the correct answer is None of the above.