Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / ib / Paper 1 / 10G / a / Solution

The group $G$ is a nontrivial finite p-group, so the nontrivial center of a finite p-group gives $Z(G)\ne \{e\}$. If $Z(G)\ne G$, then $Z(G)$ is already a nontrivial proper normal subgroup, so $G$ is not a simple group. If $Z(G)=G$, then $G$ is abelian. By Cauchy's theorem for finite groups, it has a subgroup of order $p$; every subgroup of an abelian group is normal, and this subgroup is nontrivial and proper because $|G|=p^4$. Thus in every case