Final answer:
The correct arrangement of soil types from high to low bearing strength is gravel, sand, silt, and clay, based on their particle size, cohesiveness, and water retention properties.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question concerns the bearing strength of different soil types, which is a crucial factor in engineering, particularly in foundation design in civil engineering. The bearing strength of soil is its capacity to support the loads applied to the ground. When arranging the four soil types from high to low bearing strength - silt, sand, clay, gravel - the correct sequence is B. Gravel, sand, silt, clay. Gravel, having larger and more interconnected pore spaces, generally offers higher bearing strength. Sand, with somewhat smaller particles than gravel, has less bearing strength than gravel but more than silt and clay. Silt comes next as its fine particles offer less frictional resistance between grains. Clay, whilst it can be cohesive and plastic, generally has the lowest bearing strength due to its very fine particles and high water-retaining capacity, which can lead to weakening of the soil structure under load.