Which statement accurately compares the social structures of Egypt and Mesopotamia? (1 point)

The statement that accurately compares the social structures of Egypt and Mesopotamia is:

**Priests and priestesses were closer to the pharaoh in ancient Egypt.**

In ancient Egypt, priests held significant power and were often considered intermediaries between the gods and the people, closely associated with the pharaoh. In contrast, while priests were also important in Mesopotamia, they did not hold the same level of proximity to political authority as they did in Egypt. The other statements are not correct; for example, scribes were part of a literate elite in Egypt, enslaved people were generally not part of the middle class, and merchants had varying levels of importance in both cultures, but they were generally not seen as more important in Egypt compared to Mesopotamia.