In the following sentence error spotting question, identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: He flowed into a rage at the very sight of that man.

Introduction / Context:
This question checks knowledge of idiomatic usage in English. The sentence He flowed into a rage at the very sight of that man sounds odd because the verb choice does not match the standard idiom. Error spotting questions of this type require recognition of fixed expressions where only certain verbs collocate naturally with certain nouns. Inaccurate but similar sounding verbs are used to trick hurried candidates.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Full sentence: He flowed into a rage (A)/ at the very (B)/ sight of that man (C)/ No error (D).
• Part A: He flowed into a rage.
• Part B: at the very.
• Part C: sight of that man.
• Part D: No error.
• We assume standard idiomatic usage as accepted in competitive exam English.

Concept / Approach:
The standard idiom in English is to fly into a rage, not to flow into a rage. The verb fly is used metaphorically to suggest a sudden and violent change of temper. Flow is associated with liquid movement and does not form this idiom. Therefore, the error lies in part A, where flowed must be replaced by flew to read He flew into a rage. The rest of the sentence, at the very sight of that man, is natural and grammatically correct.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine part A: He flowed into a rage. This expression does not sound familiar as a standard English idiom. Step 2: Recall that the common phrase is He flew into a rage, which means he suddenly became extremely angry. Step 3: Recognise that the wrong past tense verb, flowed, has been used in place of flew, creating the error. Step 4: Examine part B: at the very. This is acceptable, as at the very sight is a common phrase emphasizing immediacy. Step 5: Examine part C: sight of that man. This correctly completes the prepositional phrase and does not show any grammatical or idiomatic error. Step 6: Conclude that only part A is faulty and should be corrected to He flew into a rage.

Verification / Alternative check:
Substitute the correct idiom into the sentence: He flew into a rage at the very sight of that man. This version is standard English and appears frequently in literature and newspapers. Using flowed instead of flew changes the meaning and sounds unnatural, as emotions are not described as flowing into a rage. There are other idioms such as flew off the handle or flew into a passion that also support the correctness of the verb fly in this type of expression.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Part B, at the very, is correct when combined with sight to form at the very sight, which is a natural emphasis phrase. Part C, sight of that man, is a normal noun phrase and does not contain any grammatical mistake. Part D, No error, is incorrect because we have already detected a clear idiomatic error in part A. Thus, only part A can be marked as containing the error in this sentence.

Common Pitfalls:
Some students may not recognise the fixed idiom and may accept flowed into a rage as poetic or stylistic variation. Others may quickly scan for tense or article mistakes in later parts of the sentence and overlook the real issue. To excel in this type of question, candidates should familiarise themselves with common idioms like fly into a rage, blow one's top, or lose one's temper, so that incorrect substitutions stand out immediately in an exam setting.

Final Answer:
The error is in part A, because flowed should be replaced with flew to form the correct idiom He flew into a rage.