I think the OP's explanation and reasoning demonstrate why it isn't a "hack" or at least why that word conveys the wrong meaning. The thing is that all preconceived, non-knowledge based interview questions are hacky... they're asked to get a certain response. In my opinion, a poor interviewer will expect a right or wrong or specific answer in those responses. A good interviewer will genuinely try to get to know the candidate through those questions. He says something to that effect here:

"Mind you there isn’t a right answer. It just helps to place the candidate in a coordinate system that I can understand and interpret."

It's all about coming to understand the person, rather than evaluating them on a set of criteria. The difference is critical.