Which of the following can be classified as the smaller angle between the hour hand and minute hand at 8 o'clock?

The correct option is C

Obtuse Angle

A clock has a total of 360°.
The angle between any two consecutive numbers on a clock
= $\frac{{360}^{\circ }}{12}$ = 30${}^{\circ }$​ [$\because$ a clock has 12 divisions]

At 8 o'clock, the minute hand is at 12 and the hour hand is at 8 and there are 4 divisions between 8 and 12.

$\therefore$ The angle between them = 4 × 30${}^{\circ }$
= 120${}^{\circ }$

Hence the angle formed at 8 o'clock is an obtuse angle since it is more than 90° and less than 180°.