I've only given a couple of hiring interviews so far in my short career, but I've found specific, factual questions to be vital insofar as they truthfully clarify candidates' knowledge levels in their specific areas of expertise. People will generally say 'yes' when asked if they are familiar with something during an interview, even if their knowledge is tenuous, and as you said, resumes are not always totally accurate. I understand the negative reactions these types of questions get online - it's easy to imagine oneself forgetting something in the heat of the moment or missing out on an opportunity for a silly reason - but a qualified candidate should be able to give a plausible answer or ask a cogent clarifying question. If anyone has a better method for filtering out the noise people employ to pitch themselves, I'd be happy to hear it, but I haven't seen one yet.