Borders and boundaries This quiz is mostly about borders and boundaries, except when I try and sneak in a couple of my favourite subjects with extremely stretched and tenuous connections. Apologies, and good hunting!

1 During the Cold War, the Iron Curtain separated East and West Europe and the Bamboo Curtain insulated China from the world. The Cactus curtain was also a term coined during the Cold War, but is still extant today. What does the Cactus Curtain separate? (Hint: it’s just 27km long)

2 Which book’s basic premise is a sporting take on a Kipling quote from the poem English Flag — “What do they know of England who only England know?”

3 He was the director general of BBC during World War II, but is better known for something done in a great hurry a few years later. When asked in 1977 whether he would like to return to the scene of his most famous creation he remarked, “I suspect they’d shoot me out of hand — both sides!” Who was he and what did he do?

4 Which specific variety of Indian saree is noted for its use of a string of upright leaves called jhallar on its borders?

5 This is probably one of the more serendipitous ecological accidents of the 20th century. Since the ’50s, this 5,000 sqkm area is home to tiger, leopard, black bear, the red-crowned crane and more than 450 other species of mammals and birds. Where would you find this nature reserve? How was it created?

6 In 1968, what ‘barrier’ was supposed to have been broken during the episode “Plato’ s Stepchildren” in the third season of Star Trek?

7 One of the most common questions in the pre-internet days used to be about something called a ‘ha-ha’. By the fifth repeat, even we managed to remember it was a sunken fence, common in British estates. My question, why would anyone want to have a sunken fence?

8 We all know that the ‘wetback’ is a derogatory term for an illegal immigrant. Given the phrase’s origin, you could have got your back wet trying to cross which river?

9 Two national capitals, of fairly large countries, are literally within sight of each other on the opposite banks of a river. Name the river and the two capital cities.

10 His father was a resident of Baroda and died after falling off an elephant in 1870. He himself passed away in the UK, but is buried in Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan. He has a sporting connection to India, but is most remembered for his skilful negotiations with Amir Abdul Rahman Khan. Who is he and what is his claim to fame?

Answers1. Guantanamo Bay, the US territory, from the rest of the island of Cuba

2. Beyond the Boundary, CLR James

3. Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who decided the borders between India and Pakistan

4. The Banarasi saree

5. The DMZ that separates North and South Korea. Given the tension between the two countries no human dares venture in that area, though the North Koreans have tried to tunnel under

6. The first inter-racial kiss on US television between Captain Kirk and Lt Uhura

7. A sunken fence stopped cattle from wandering off without obstructing the view, and was mostly used by British landscape designers

8. The Rio Grande, crossing from Mexico to the US

9. The cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, separated by the Congo river

10. Henry Mortimer Durand. The Durand Line, separating Pakistan from Afghanistan, and the Durand Cup football tournament are named after him

Joy Bhattacharjyais, in this age of televisions pundits and Facebook gurus, simply grateful that facts are not opinions.

Follow Joy on Twitter >@joybhattacharj

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