From ETS 10th Edition (3)

[wood]

The trainees were given copies of a finished manual to see whether they could themselves begin to _______ the inflexible, though tacit, rules for composing more of such instructional materials.

(A) design
(B) revise
(C) disrupt
(D) standardize
(E) derive

[rumen]

is it "e"

[wood]

Yes!

Explanation? What's the reason for eliminating A?

[Psyoutlaw]

E looks good to me too...

Wood????

[wood]

Psyoutlaw, explanation please?

[rumen]

first you have "manual" some words later you have rules, implied ETS "though tacit", so when you have manuals, with something implied, I think "derive" makes sense

[wood]

Humm, right I believe... but design is still not a bad choice in case deride was not there, right?

[Psyoutlaw]

Indeed Wood (A) Design is not that bad of a choice. But there is not enough information there to imply that. That is why I went with (E)

Psyoutlaw

[wood]

Thanks Psyoutlaw... that makes sense.

[pamrs]

Originally posted by wood

The trainees were given copies of a finished manual to see whether they could themselves begin to _______ the inflexible, though tacit, rules for composing more of such instructional materials.

(A) design
(B) revise
(C) disrupt
(D) standardize
(E) derive

They were given a manuscript that had tacit (not explicitly stated) rules according to which it was composed. Now, they could not themselves design the rules (and you make rules, not design them), since the rules were already in the manuscript. They were supposed to look at the manuscript and figure out how to compose one like it -- by figuring out (deriving) the rules of composition.