I was asked a question like that once and knew the general details but was quizzed on the specifics - needless to say I did not get the job and my elementary kn

I was asked a question like that once and knew the general details but was quizzed on the specifics - needless to say I did not get the job and my elementary knowledge about red-black trees was specifically mentioned as a reason for my rejection. This was at a highly publicised tech startup that people consider a very good employer in the industry.