
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


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The center of the upper base of a cube with an edge length of \(a\) is connected to the midpoints of the sides of the lower base, which are also connected in sequential order. Calculate the total surface area of the resulting pyramid.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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