Final answer:
The statement is false; literacy in ancient Egypt was limited to a select group of scribes who were trained to write in hieroglyphics, not the entire population.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Egypt was a literate society, everyone was able to read and write is false. Literacy in ancient Egypt was limited to a small group of scribes who underwent years of training to master hieroglyphics, a complex system of writing consisting of symbol-based alphabets. These scribes played a crucial role in maintaining the continuity of Egyptian culture, politics, and administration by recording a variety of documents, from tax records to sacred texts. While there has been an immense improvement in global literacy over time, reaching 87% by 2020, the literacy rates in historical periods, including ancient Egypt, were significantly lower.