The property of fluid by virtue of which it offers resistance to shear is called

Viscosity is a fluid's resistance to flow.
Think of it like this: honey is more viscous than water because it's thicker and flows slower.
This "thickness" comes from the internal friction within the fluid as it's being sheared (deformed).
So, the property of a fluid that resists shear is its viscosity.

Now let's look at the other options:

(A) Surface tension is the tendency of liquid surfaces to shrink into the minimum surface area possible.
It's what allows some insects to walk on water.
It's not directly related to resistance to shear flow.

(B) Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another.
For example, water sticking to the side of a glass.
This is about attraction between different materials, not the fluid's internal resistance to shear.

(D) None of the above is incorrect because viscosity *is* the property we're looking for.

In summary: Viscosity is the fluid property that resists shear.