For some reason the bread I try to make in a break maker is not rising
enough. Actually, I made maybe twenty test breads and only one time did it
rise enough. I don't recall doing anything different that time.

Is there a way to tell whether the yeast is too old, temperature is
incorrect, or other reason by examining the bread?

The bread is simple:

1 cup bread flour
2 tbsp yeast
5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 egg
some butter
just enough water to make a dough ball (less than 1/4 cup)