Final answer:
Water is a polar solvent, so it dissolves polar molecules and ionic compounds. Substances like bleach, sugar, and table salt will dissolve in water, whereas nonpolar substances like bacon grease, butter, and mascara will not.
Step-by-step explanation:
When it comes to determining which substances would dissolve in water, we must consider the polarity of water as a solvent. Since water is a polar solvent, it tends to dissolve substances that are either ionic or polar. Substances like bacon grease, butter, and mascara are nonpolar and do not dissolve well in water.
On the other hand, polar molecules and ionic compounds such as bleach (which often contains polar molecules like sodium hypochlorite), sugar (which is a polar molecule), and table salt (which is an ionic compound, sodium chloride) will dissolve in water. This is due to water's ability to form hydrogen bonds with these substances, thereby disrupting the ionic lattice or molecular structure and allowing these substances to disperse uniformly throughout the solution.