What climatic difference can form when temperature decreases with altitude?

Correct answer: Mountain areas can be cooler than nearby plains

The direct answer is Option D: mountain areas can be cooler than nearby plains. Temperature generally decreases as altitude, or height above sea level, increases. The reason is that air becomes thinner at greater height and holds less heat; the ground also heats the air near the surface more strongly than the higher air. Thus, a mountain town may be colder than a nearby lowland town even when both are at nearly the same latitude. Option A is wrong because altitude does not make all coastal areas hot. Option B is wrong because height does not remove physical distance from the sea. Option C is wrong because moving upward does not change latitude; latitude is distance north or south of the Equator. Option D correctly states the climatic difference produced by altitude. Exam cue: higher place usually means lower temperature, though local conditions can modify the result.