1.) No, it isn't.
2.) Not for me, but I have been practicing lucid dreaming for a long time. This is something common that happens with beginners for the most part.
3.) It takes a different amount of practice for different people but yes. It requires effort Dream control is mostly about being confident and believing you can change things.
4.) Some claim to have lucid like this, but I am not sure. Reality checking would turn the dream intro an actual lucid