Answer:
48 cm²
Explanation:
The lateral area (L) of a trapezoidal prism is the area of the four rectangles that connect the top and bottom trapezoids.
The four rectangles make one large rectangle with length equal to the sum of the four sides — the perimeter (p).
1. Convert the height to centimetres

2. Calculate the perimeter
p = 3 cm + 4 cm + 5 cm + 4 cm = 16 cm
3. Calculate the lateral area
L = ph = 16 cm × 3 cm = 48 cm²
The lateral area of the prism is 48 cm².