Question

60 grams of ethyl alcohol, and 40 grams of H2O form a solution, what are the solute and the solvent

Answer 1

Generally, the the solute is the solid and the solvent is the liquid. In liquid solutions, generally, the solute is the "smaller" one (in volume or mass) and the solvent is the larger volume; however, it really makes no difference as long as everyone knows how the solution is being handled. I would call ethyl alcohol the solvent and water the solute in most cases.