What property of a material describes its ability to absorb energy before fracturing?

The correct answer is toughens. Toughness is a material property that measures how much energy a material can absorb before it fractures. It reflects a combination of strength and ductility, indicating not just how much stress a material can withstand but also how well it can deform without breaking during impact or sudden stresses.

This is particularly important in applications where materials are subjected to rapid loading or shocks, as it ensures that they will not fail abruptly but can absorb the energy being applied up to a certain limit. Tough materials are desirable in engineering applications where resilience against impact is critical.

On the other hand, while impact strength relates closely to toughness, it specifically addresses a material's resistance to fracture upon impact, rather than overall energy absorption. Elasticity pertains to a material's ability to return to its original shape after deformation, and ductility describes how much a material can be deformed plastically before breaking, emphasizing the material's ability to stretch rather than absorb energy.