Which of the following terms describes the ability of soil to undergo large strains without failing?

The term that best describes the ability of soil to undergo large strains without failing is plasticity. Plasticity refers to the property of a material, in this case, soil, that allows it to deform under stress without breaking. This characteristic is crucial in geotechnical engineering, as it indicates how soil will behave when subjected to various loads and conditions. Soils that exhibit high plasticity can absorb significant deformations and recover from them, making them less prone to failure under heavy loads.

While compressibility relates to how much soil can be compacted under pressure, it does not fully capture the ability to undergo large strains without failing. Viscosity pertains to the flow of fluids and how they resist deformation over time, which does not apply to soil in the same way. Ductility is a term more commonly associated with metals and describes the ability to undergo significant plastic deformation before rupture, but it is not typically used to describe soil behavior. Therefore, plasticity is the most appropriate term in this context.