The ability to state the rate of deterioration precisely can be affected by equipment complexity, type of deterioration mechanism, process and metallurgical variations, inaccessibility for inspection, limitations of inspection and test methods, and lack of coverage of an area subject to deterioration. Since all the options (A, B, C, and D) can directly affect the ability to determine the rate of deterioration, the correct answer is 'None of the above', which means 'E'.