alright, i gotta chime in here.
as stated, it seems to me, the reason is to see if you can follow directions, pay attention to details, not overlook something that someone or something said is important, even though your initial reaction may be it's not important.
the more i thought about this, the more i realized, it's just one more tool for the hr people to use to make a decision.. and i like the underlying philosophy they're using.. not necessarily the thing about paying attention to details.. but, the background and underlying philosophy is, it's a given that they're going to hire d@mn good pilots. the ones who can shoot the sh!t out of ils's, etc. that's the given. every one of us is a good pilot. i haven't flown yet with a guy here that wasn't a good pilot, in my 4 years at this company. so if they weed out the good vs the bad pilots, and what they're left with are good pilots... here's something to add to it.. someone who sounds like a professional, speaks coherent english, and pays attention to details.
i laughed at and criticized the previous regime's hiring committee as much as the next guy... but, i always said, and always believed, no matter how funky and confrontational it seemed, they did a good job. hopefully this new approach is just as successful.