useless trivia: What Word Means: Seric - Chinese?

Questions

Which American author wrote Moby Dick?

The State Duma is the lower house of assembly in the parliament of which country?

What is the meaning of the word 'Dodecanese'?

What was the title of Oliver Cromwell when he was head of the Commonwealth?

Ebenezer HowaWhat does the musical term 'pesante' mean?