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For discussion, ignore the issue of whether the umpire should or should not have responded.
For now, ignore whether the umpire actually did respond or not.
What if R1 made it safely to 2nd? Would you penalize her because F1 asked a question while she was stealing? Carrying it further, if you saw R1 hesitate when F1 asked the question, would you consider obstruction (verbal)? If you would have called the runner safe, why not call the runner out?
Is the "umpire performing duties" only if the umpire responds, or also if F1 asks and the presumption is that the ump will respond (sooner or later).
Now answer the questions again with the umpire responding and then agian with the umpire giving the count without being asked.
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Officiating takes more than OJT.
It's not our jobs to invent rulings to fit our personal idea of what should and should not be.
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