Question: thismodule, abstractly indexed

Here's a slightly reduced form of a little module from some code that I posted recently:

KandR:= module()
local
   a, b, c, e, #parameters

   #procedure that lets user set parameter values:
   ModuleApply:= proc({
       a::algebraic:= KandR:-a, b::algebraic:= KandR:-b, 
       c::algebraic:= KandR:-c, e::algebraic:= KandR:-e
   })
   local k;
      for k to _noptions do thismodule[lhs(_options[k])]:= rhs(_options[k]) od;
      return
   end proc
;
end module:

The purpose of the module is simply to be a container for the four parameters and to provide a simple ModuleApply interface by which they can be set, reset, and/or unset. 

I very often use a procedure parameter of a ModuleApply to set a local variable of same name in the module. Because of the name conflict, thismodule needs to be used in these situations. I see this as the primary use of thismodule. In the module above, the purpose of the line 

for k to _noptions do thismodule[lhs(_options[k])]:= rhs(_options[k]) od;

is to avoid the need to explictly use the parameters yet a third time. First off, I am amazed that this works! I've had many disappointments with thismodule (which is essentially undocumented---its miniscule help page is nearly worthless). I am using Maple 2018, release 1. Another Maple 2018 user (not sure which release) reports that the above line gives an error (when executed) that thismodule's index must be a name.

Question 1: What's up with that?

[Edit: It's been determined that the problem was due to an unfortunate global assignment in that user's initialization file rather than different behavior of thismodule. So, I consider Question 1 to be completely answered, and it should be ignored.]

Question 2: The for loop is not entirely satisfying to me. Is there a better way?

[Status: Answered, see below.]

Question 3: Ideally, I'd like to explicity use the four parameters once, not two or three times. Is there a way? If I need to use a container for the parameters (such as a Record), to achieve that, I'd be happy to do that, and I wouldn't mind needing to invoke that container's name any number of times.

[Status: Answered, see below.]

Note that op and exports can be applied to thismodule to extract the module's operands. I have found this occasionally useful.

Question 4: What are some other good uses for thismodule? The one and only example given on its help page seems ridiculous to me.