Question 2
After a carrom board is powdered and the powder spread, a flick of exactly the same strength sends the disc very much further. Why?
The right answer is the one marked above.
Because the powder reduces the friction, so the disc slows down less. It is the frictional force that stops the disc — reduce it and the disc takes longer, and further, to stop.
The force from the flick is the same in both cases, so the disc sets off at the same velocity. All that changes is how quickly it comes to a stop.
If friction could somehow be made zero altogether, the disc would travel on and never stop — which is the first law itself.