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UPSC Prelims 1995 · Indian Geography · India’s Land and Borders
The National Highway from Amritsar to Calcutta via Delhi is numbered:
- (a) 1
- (b) 2
- (c) 4
- (d) 8
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2
Old NH 2 ran Delhi – Agra – Varanasi – Kolkata, the Grand Trunk Road; with NH 1 it completed the route from Amritsar.
The idea
A historical road corridor can be divided between more than one numbered highway. A single highway number may describe a major leg without covering both endpoints in the wording. Use the pre-renumbering network for this 1995 question.
Why the others are wrong
(a) Old NH 1 ran Delhi–Amritsar–Wagah only.
(c) Old NH 4 ran Mumbai–Chennai.
(d) Old NH 8 ran Delhi–Jaipur–Mumbai.
The trap
NH 1 is the Amritsar leg; the long Delhi–Kolkata leg is NH 2.
Also know
The Amritsar–Delhi leg belonged to old NH 1 and the Delhi–Kolkata leg to old NH 2. The wider Grand Trunk route extends across national borders and is older than the modern numbering system. Sher Shah Suri improved the route, but did not create every part of its older trading corridor.
🔒 Grand Trunk Road (Sher Shah Suri): Chittagong/Kolkata → Delhi → Amritsar → Kabul. Today it is part of NH 19 and NH 44.
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