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Must be getting on 20 years ago... I was the Air controller at Heathrow one evening when the boss brought up a charming young lady for a look around.... asked if she could listen in with me, etc. She asked me things like: "How you you know which plane you are talking to", "How can you tell the difference between the planes", etc, etc. I tried to give her basic answers which I hoped she might understand. Boss came across and whispered in my ear: "She's just finished at the College and starts in Glasgow Tower in a few days". O....M...G!
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HD, I think trainees get a hard enough time as it is. Oldies like you and I , have forgotton all of the stress associated with being a trainee. The difference between college and a unit is immense. Perhaps the lady in question was nervous and just trying to fill akward gaps. Or she had never seen the equipment or method of your controlling. You cannot knock someone on one hand for not knowing, and on the other hand moan if they ask. I always believed in no such thing as a silly question.
In terms of aeronautical knowledge, I have come across so many know alls, who probably wanted to be a pilot but didn't for what ever reason. They are quite high and mighty and are aghast if a trainee out of college doesn't know some aeronautical information. I say let the pilot fly the plane as he/she is trained, and I will accomadate what he wants, as I am trained. Having to much knowledge about technical issues towards flying can be a bad thing too, as you could bombard the pilot with your knowledge about his own plane, not knowing his SOP.