useless trivia: What Word Means: A Chicken?

Questions

Who wrote a diary entitled "Five Years of my Life" at the beginning of this century?

Which "fishy" character, in an opera by Benjamin Britten, is elected May King, spending his prize money on a debauch?

Which novelist created Crown Prosecutor Helen West?

Which entertainer has the nickname "Slowhand"?

How many possible opening moves does white have at the start of a game of chess?