Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: NH 44
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
India's National Highways network is the backbone of long distance road transport and is periodically renumbered and upgraded. In exam questions, you are often asked about the longest National Highway because it illustrates how a single highway can span the entire length of the country. Historically, NH 7 was famous for its long north south stretch, but after renumbering, the same broad corridor is now known as NH 44. This question checks whether you are updated on the new numbering and can correctly identify the current longest National Highway in India.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The concept here is understanding both the physical route and the updated numbering scheme. Earlier, NH 7 (Varanasi Kanyakumari with extensions) was often cited as the longest highway. After the rationalisation of highway numbers, a new, continuous north south corridor from Srinagar to Kanyakumari has been designated as NH 44. It integrates several earlier highway segments, effectively making NH 44 the longest National Highway in India. The approach is to recall that when exam questions refer to the longest highway in the current system, the answer should be NH 44 rather than the older NH 7.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Verification / Alternative check:
Verification can be done by consulting an updated map of India's National Highways or official lists from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. These show NH 44 running from Srinagar to Kanyakumari as part of the North South Corridor and list its length as the greatest among all numbered highways. Older books that still mention NH 7 should be read with caution and cross checked against newer sources to avoid confusion in exams that expect the renumbered designation.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
NH 47 is a regional highway that does not span the entire length of India and is shorter than the north south corridor. NH 4 is also not the longest and serves a different alignment. NH 7 historically described a long route but has been renumbered and broken up under the new system; continuing to choose NH 7 would ignore this update. None of the above is incorrect only when no option fits, but here NH 44 clearly matches the description in the question and in official records, so it is the correct choice.
Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to rely on outdated information and automatically select NH 7 because that was once the most popular answer. Another pitfall is not paying attention to the mention of Srinagar and Kanyakumari together, which signals the modern north south corridor. To avoid these errors, always update your knowledge of infrastructure facts before exams and remember that under the rationalised numbering system, NH 44 is now the longest National Highway in India.
Final Answer:
The longest National Highway in India in the current renumbered network, running from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, is NH 44.
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