Q. Who had founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784?
(a) Lord Clive
(b) Lord Warren Hastings
(c) Queen Victoria
(d) William Jones
Ans: (d) William Jones
Explanation: The person who founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784 was option (d) William Jones. Sir William Jones, a British philologist and scholar, established the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1784. The society was formed with the objective of promoting the study of the history, culture, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent and other Asian regions. Jones made significant contributions to the study of Indian languages, particularly Sanskrit, and played a crucial role in the development of Orientalist scholarship. The Asiatic Society of Bengal, under Jones’s guidance, became a renowned institution for research and academic pursuits in the field of Oriental studies.