UPSC Prelims 2020 · Question 14 of 100

UPSC Prelims 2020 question on Fort William College

Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because

  1. he was asked by the Board of Directors at London to do so
  2. he wanted to revive interest in oriental learning in India
  3. he wanted to provide William Carey and his associates with employment
  4. he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India
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Answer: D. he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India

Fort William College was established on 18 August 1800 by Lord Richard Wellesley (d. 1837), Governor General of Bengal, in order to provide instruction in the vernacular languages of India to the civil and military officials of the East India Company.

It was named after King William III of England. The purposes were multi-folded: fostering of Indian languages and making the British officials familiar with the local languages, so that their administrative work would become easier as it involved interaction with the Indian natives.

Hence option (d) — he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India — is the correct answer.

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