When interviewing for senior (read: C-suite) positions, I sometimes try to gauge how someone reacts to dumb questions. This can be OK as long as you preface it

When interviewing for senior (read: C-suite) positions, I sometimes try to gauge how someone reacts to dumb questions. This can be OK as long as you preface it with something like, "If you don't mind I'd like to ask something that might like a dumb question..." If not -- if you're deliberately gaming the candidate (or cloaking your true intent in any way) -- then of course the better candidates are going to smell that right away. At which point walking out the door is not only permissible - but arguably the only response that make any sense.