[gm]

And why not? It's a fair question. A seasoned manager will be able to answer that without blinking. "Some people think cubicles suck". "Open environment does not work for all". "This is not the place for someone that does not want to be under pressure to deliver". Easy to answer.

Why would it be uncomfortable to ask? It's dangerous to ask, though. If you ask it in a way that you come through as a smug, wanna-be-clever son of a bitch then the job interview is over.

So it's more of a danger to the one doing the asking unless he/she has good emotional intelligence. It's a fair question to ask.