Question

Retrograde motion describes the backward motion of the stars relative to earth

Answer 1

False.

Retrograde motion is something that the outer planets do relative to the background stars, when they are on the same side of the sun as the earth (at which time they are seen most of the night).

Usually, the orbital motion of the planets causes them to move eastward relative to the stars. When the Earth passes by them at a faster rate of speed, however, they appear to go west relative to the stars for a month or two.

The inner planets, Venus and Mercury, appear to go back and forth relative to the sun, as seen from Earth. One does not usually talk about retrograde motion for those planets.