Which pair of cartoon characters was created in 1940 by animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera?

Introduction / Context:
Animated characters and their creators are popular subjects in general knowledge questions because they combine culture, entertainment and history. William Hanna and Joseph Barbera formed one of the most successful animation partnerships. In nineteen forty they introduced a cat and mouse duo that became globally famous. This question checks whether the learner can identify that iconic pair.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The creators named are William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
• The year mentioned is nineteen forty.
• The task is to choose the correct pair of cartoon characters from the options.

Concept / Approach:
The key concept is matching animation history with the right characters. Tom and Jerry, the endlessly battling cat and mouse, premiered in a series of theatrical shorts created by Hanna and Barbera at the Metro Goldwyn Mayer cartoon studio. Other characters listed in the options belong to different creators or time periods, so they can be eliminated.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall which famous cartoon animals are associated with Hanna and Barbera.Step 2: Identify Tom and Jerry as their early and extremely popular creations from around nineteen forty.Step 3: Check each option and see that other pairs, such as Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, are primarily linked with Disney, not Hanna and Barbera.Step 4: Select Tom and Jerry as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
A learner can verify by remembering that Hanna Barbera later created characters like Yogi Bear and The Flintstones, but Tom and Jerry came first as a cinema series in the early nineteen forties. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Tweety and Sylvester are all from the Disney or Warner Bros families, not from Hanna Barbera. This cross reference confirms the choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Oswald and Noddy do not form an established cartoon pair known from Hanna Barbera productions, so that option is a distractor. Mickey Mouse and Sylvester come from different studios and are never grouped as a canonical duo. Donald Duck and Tweety are again characters from separate creative universes. Popeye and Olive are earlier comic and cartoon characters, but they were not created by Hanna and Barbera in nineteen forty.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may be tempted to choose the option that contains the most famous names, such as Mickey Mouse, without paying attention to the creators behind them. Another mistake is to focus only on the year and forget which studios were active then. A good strategy is to link famous creative partnerships like Hanna Barbera directly with their signature characters, including Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear and The Flintstones.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is Tom and Jerry.