NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 4 The Tunnel — Let us explore

Book page 156 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.

The Nation's pride Atal Tunnel is 9.02 kilometres long. It runs under the Rohtang Pass. It was constructed on the Manali–Leh Highway under the challenging conditions of freezing temperatures in extremely difficult terrain. The Atal Tunnel has officially been certified by World Book of Records as the ‘World's Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 Feet'!

Answer

This is a reading-and-finding-out task, not a question with one answer. Here are the facts to note down, and what to look for next.

Fact	Detail from the text
Name	Atal Tunnel
Length	9.02 kilometres
Runs under	the Rohtang Pass
On which road	the Manali–Leh Highway
Conditions during building	freezing temperatures, extremely difficult terrain
Record	World's Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 Feet (World Book of Records)

Take it further: Find out (a) which two valleys the tunnel joins — Kullu and Lahaul; (b) how long the road journey between Manali and Lahaul took before the tunnel and how long it takes now; (c) why Lahaul-Spiti used to be cut off from the rest of the country for several months every winter. Mark Manali, Rohtang Pass, Keylong and Leh on an outline map of India.

Link with the unit: Sunder Singh's little railway tunnel and the Atal Tunnel do the same job in different sizes — they take a road or a track through a mountain instead of over it. Both need a human being to keep them safe.

Q2.

The history of Indian Railways spans over 165 years. On 16 April 1853, the first passenger train ran between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) and Thane, covering 34 kilometres. It was operated by three locomotives named Sahib, Sultan, and Sindh and had thirteen carriages. In 1864, the North received its first station, Delhi Junction, near Chandni Chowk. You may refer to the given link to know more about Indian Railways.

Answer

Note the key facts, then use the National Rail Museum link (or your library) to add to them.

Fact	Detail
Date of the first passenger train	16 April 1853
Route	Bori Bunder (Mumbai) to Thane
Distance	34 kilometres
Locomotives	three — Sahib, Sultan and Sindh
Carriages	thirteen
First station in the North	Delhi Junction, near Chandni Chowk, in 1864

Suggested project: Make a class timeline on chart paper — 1853 (first passenger train), 1864 (Delhi Junction), 1925 (first electric train, Bombay VT to Kurla), 1988 (first Shatabdi Express), 2019 (Vande Bharat Express), 2024 (Kolkata's under-river metro). Add one picture and one line of information under each date.

Connect it to the story: The engine Suraj waits for is a steam engine — “green, black, and gold”, showering sparks. Those engines were the direct descendants of Sahib, Sultan and Sindh, and have now almost completely disappeared from Indian tracks. That is one reason Ruskin Bond's story already feels like history.

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