That particular question is actually quite sensible (/s), it tests whether you actually have some experience coding in C and are looking to get hired in the lat

That particular question is actually quite sensible (/s), it tests whether you actually have some experience coding in C and are looking to get hired in the late 1970s/early 1980s -- it's a "weed out the interviewees who are overstating their experience" question (h/t to Hillel Wayne, who did the research on why the question is used, and has a good talk in which it is the main focus)