Final answer:
The major benefit of the phospholipid bilayer arrangement in a cell membrane is that it allows the surfaces of the membrane to interact with water solutions, enabling selective permeability.
Step-by-step explanation:
The arrangement of lipids in the plasma membrane's phospholipid bilayer is crucial for supplying a major benefit to a cell, as it confers selective permeability. The correct answer to the question of which major benefit this arrangement provides is A) The surfaces of the membrane can interact with water solutions. This is because the phospholipid molecule consists of a hydrophilic ("water-loving") head, which faces the aqueous environments both inside and outside of the cell, and two hydrophobic ("water-hating") tails, which face each other within the membrane, creating a barrier to separate internal components from the extracellular environment.
The structure is selectively permeable, allowing the cell to regulate what enters and exits. Specifically, small, nonpolar materials can move through the lipid bilayer directly, while water-soluble materials may require assistance to cross the membrane. Integral membrane proteins embedded within the bilayer facilitate this selective transport. Hence, the membrane's lipid composition provides both a physical barrier and a mechanism for maintaining the cell's internal environment.