Building C Programs

This is the first question I ask on an interview (for a C position). People who know this stuff can walk me through it in a few minutes, and then I can focus on actual problems. Fresh college grads usually struggle a bit with the preprocessor and the linker, but the good candidates can usually figure it out with hints in 10-15 minutes.

I find this works better than a fizzbuzz test; there is always a follow-up question that involves reading/modifying some code, but those who struggle with the first question always perform poorly on the second as well.

The OP does a good job of explaining the basics. I'm saving this link to send to the candidates that do poorly on the questions.