Answer 1

256 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2

Here, two 2s are left which are not in a triplet. To make 256 a cube, one more 2 is required.

Then, we obtain

256 × 2 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 512 is a perfect cube.

Hence, the smallest natural number by which 256 should be multiplied to make it a perfect cube is 2.