Bunkagame — October 10, 2026

Question 1

In mid-2010, the UN's World Food Organisation, Oxfam and MSF warned of an impending famine affecting Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and northern Nigeria. Heavy drought and high heat had already hit the region. Which major food crisis in Africa's Sahel is being described?

Accepted Answer

Burkina Faso and Mali were both at the heart of the 2010 Sahel famine. In June 2010 the UN's World Food Organisation, Oxfam and MSF warned of an impending famine across Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and northern Nigeria.

Question 2

South Asian and Middle Eastern-styled versions of this dish surged in popularity in Manila in the 2020s, served by both high-end restaurants and working-class eateries, while a distinct regional style is popular in the Palakkad and Coimbatore regions of South India. What is this layered rice dish?

Accepted Answer

Manila and Palakkad are both tied to Biryani. South Asian and Middle Eastern biryani surged in Manila in the 2020s, popularized by Indian Filipinos, other South Asians and returning Overseas Filipino Workers, while a distinct regional style is popular in the Palakkad and Coimbatore regions.

Question 3

Mexican-style celebrations of this holiday now happen in major cities in Indonesia, Fiji and Australia, mostly run by local Mexican communities, and in Mexico City a parade along Paseo de la Reforma launched after a 2015 James Bond film drew 250,000 people in 2016. Which Mexican observance is spreading worldwide?

Accepted Answer

Indonesia and Mexico are both tied to the Day of the Dead. Mexican-style Day of the Dead celebrations occur in major cities in Indonesia, Fiji and Australia, while the holiday largely developed in Mexico, where a Mexico City parade now draws hundreds of thousands.

Question 4

In the Philippines, senator Francis Tolentino said the 2023 Greta Gerwig film Barbie (film) might also be banned there for 'denigrating' Filipino sovereignty, after a Southeast Asian neighbor banned it. Which neighbor, which bans images of the nine-dash line, pulled the film in July 2023?

Accepted Answer

The Philippines and Vietnam were both tied to the Barbie film release row. Philippine senator Francis Tolentino warned the film might be banned at home after Vietnam banned it in July 2023 over the appearance of the nine-dash line in the movie.

Question 5

The international movement in this art form began in America and spread to Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia, while Mexico, home of Latin America's first glass factory brought by Spanish conquerors, has produced growing numbers of artists in the medium since the 1970s. Which contemporary craft form?

Accepted Answer

The United Kingdom and Mexico are both part of the studio glass story. The international studio glass movement originated in America and spread to Europe and the UK, while Mexico has hosted glass artists since the 1970s on a foundation that reaches back to the first Spanish-brought glass factory in Latin America.

Question 6

This national squad made its first World Championship appearance in 1959 in Chile, finishing fifth with a 3-6 record led by Juan Vicéns averaging 22 points per game. Later, they finished 10th at the 1986 edition in Spain after failing to qualify for 1982 in Colombia. Which national team is being described?

Accepted Answer

Chile and Spain are both tied to the Puerto Rico men's national basketball team. Puerto Rico's first World Championship appearance was in 1959 in Chile, where Juan Vicéns averaged 22 points per game and the team finished fifth with a 3-6 record. At the 1986 World Championship in Spain, Puerto Rico took 10th place, having failed to qualify for the 1982 championship in Colombia.

Question 7

The 19th-century Irish novelist Julia Kavanagh (1824 to 1877), subject of Eileen Fauset's 2009 Manchester University Press book 'The Politics of Writing', was born in a small town in County Tipperary, in the province of Munster. In which Irish town was she born?

Accepted Answer

Manchester and Thurles are both tied to Julia Kavanagh. The Irish novelist, born on 7 January 1824 at Thurles in County Tipperary, had her life and work documented in Eileen Fauset's 'The politics of writing: Julia Kavanagh, 1824-77', published by Manchester University Press in 2009.

Question 8

During his playing career with the Edmonton Oilers, Wayne Gretzky was known for his hockey intelligence despite modest strength numbers. In 2017 he partnered with Andrew Peller Ltd. to open a winery and distillery named Wayne Gretzky Estates in which Ontario town, famous for Shaw Festival theatre and vineyards at the mouth of the Niagara River?

Accepted Answer

Edmonton and Niagara-on-the-Lake are both tied to Wayne Gretzky. He starred for the Edmonton Oilers, and in 2017 he opened Wayne Gretzky Estates winery and distillery with Andrew Peller Ltd. in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Question 9

In February 1949, representatives of nine Asian National Olympic Committees met at Patiala House in Delhi to lay the groundwork for a continental multi-sport event that debuted in Delhi in 1951. Which inaugural event is this?

Accepted Answer

Delhi and Patiala are both tied to the 1951 Asian Games. The planning meeting of nine Asian National Olympic Committees was held at Patiala House in Delhi in February 1949, and the first Games took place in Delhi in 1951.

Question 10

Two Puritan military leaders, hunted for their role in the 1649 regicide of King Charles I, fled across the Atlantic, found refuge in New Haven, Connecticut and later hid in Hadley, Massachusetts in the home of the town's minister John Russell. Which fugitive English Puritan general fled with Colonel Edward Whalley after this execution?

Accepted Answer

New Haven, Connecticut and Hadley, Massachusetts both sheltered William Goffe. He fled to New Haven with Colonel Edward Whalley after the English regicide, and was later hidden in Hadley in the home of its minister John Russell.