Final answer:
Flammable liquids that readily mix with water are polar solvents; this is because polar substances dissolve in polar solvents due to strong intermolecular attractions, like dipole-dipole forces or hydrogen bonds. Hydrocarbon fuels are nonpolar and not significantly soluble in water.
Step-by-step explanation:
Flammable liquids that mix readily with water are known as polar solvents. The likeliness of a substance to dissolve in water, a polar solvent, depends on its own polarity. According to the principle "like dissolves like," polar molecules are more soluble in polar solvents due to the strong dipole-dipole attractions or the capacity for hydrogen bonding. Nonpolar liquids, such as hydrocarbon fuels, have limited solubility in water because of weak attractive forces between the polar water molecules and the nonpolar liquid molecules, which aren't enough to disrupt the hydrogen bonding between water molecules.
This distinction between miscibility and immiscibility is guided by the extent of mutual solubility. Miscible liquids can be mixed in any proportions, showing infinite mutual solubility, while immiscible liquids will only dissolve in each other to a very low extent. Examples of miscible liquids include ethanol and sulfuric acid, which are completely miscible with water, unlike many nonpolar substances such as gasoline and oil. Hence, given choices A, B, C, and D, the correct answer is A. polar solvents.