Can static electricity do work and how do you know?

Answer 1

Yes. Static electricity can do work.

I know because when I draw a rubber comb through my hair on a dry day and then pass it
over a bunch of bits of tissue on the table, the bits of tissue jump straight up to the comb.

The static charge on the comb exerted a force on the tissue bits, and the product of the force
on each bit multiplied by the distance through which it jumped is the work done on it by the
static field.