Question

What type of force is needed to accelerate an object? What direction will the object accelerate?

Answer 1

I think this question is fishing for "NET" force.

That means any force that's not cancelled by another force
on the same object that's equal and opposite (so that the two
of them would add up to zero and have no effect at all).

When there's a 'net' force on the object ... meaning that the whole 
GROUP of ALL forces on the object is not balanced and not zero ...
then the object accelerates in the direction of the net force.

Answer 2

That just depends on the mass of the object and I think it will accelerate forwards