1. as ted drags a couch across the floor, he feels the couch "pulls back" on him. is this example of action/reaction forces or balanced forces? which object is each force working on?

This is Newton's third law

Explanation:

This is a classic example of ''for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction''. When Ted tries to drag the couch across the floor he exerts a force to pull the couch but the couch exerts an equal force on Ted and pulls him back. The same happens when we push something or when we push against the ground to jump etc. The ground pushes against us, the couch pulls us or pushes us if we are pushing against it.