What generally happens to temperature when altitude increases?

Correct answer: Temperature decreases

Direct answer: B, temperature decreases. Altitude means height above sea level. As height increases, the air becomes thinner and air pressure decreases. The ground warms the air near it, so higher places receive less warming from the surface; therefore temperature generally falls with altitude. Thus mountains are usually cooler than nearby lowlands. Option A is wrong because temperature does not normally rise as height increases. Option B is correct because the usual vertical temperature pattern is a decrease. Option C is wrong because temperature is not always identical at every height; other factors can cause variation, but the general rule is cooling. Option D is meaningless because temperature is a measurement of hotness or coldness and cannot become soil. Memory cue: “higher mountain, cooler air.” The word “generally” is important because this is a normal rule, not an absolute rule for every unusual situation.