The medical or psychological term for an irresistible craving for alcoholic drinks is which of the following?

Introduction / Context:
In English vocabulary and basic psychology, many words ending with the suffix "mania" describe abnormal or excessive desires and obsessions. Competitive exams frequently test these terms through questions that ask for the correct match between a type of mania and its object. This question focuses on the specific condition of having an irresistible craving for alcoholic drinks. Knowing the precise term helps candidates in general knowledge, medical entrance preparation, and language improvement, because such words often appear in reading passages and professional discussions.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The description given is "irresistible craving for alcoholic drinks".
- The options list several different manias: pyromania, kleptomania, dipsomania, megalomania, and bibliomania.
- Each option links the technical term with a brief explanation.
- We assume standard dictionary meanings of these psychological or descriptive terms.

Concept / Approach:
The suffix "mania" indicates an intense enthusiasm, passion, or pathological obsession. The root part of each word tells us what the obsession is about. "Dipso" comes from a Greek root related to thirst, and in this context it is associated with thirst for alcohol. Therefore, "dipsomania" refers to an uncontrollable craving for alcoholic liquor. The approach is to carefully read each option and match the description in the question to the correct term, while ensuring that we do not confuse it with other, more familiar manias such as pyromania or kleptomania.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the key phrase "irresistible craving for alcoholic drinks". This points directly to a specific addiction related to alcohol. Step 2: Read option A, "Pyromania, a violent desire to start fires". This involves fire setting behaviour, not alcohol consumption. Step 3: Look at option B, "Kleptomania, a compulsion to steal things". This relates to stealing, again not to drinking. Step 4: Examine option C, "Dipsomania, an irresistible craving for alcoholic drinks". This directly repeats the phrase in the question and correctly relates to alcohol addiction. Step 5: Option D describes "Megalomania, an obsession with power and grand ideas", which is often used to describe people with inflated ideas of their own importance. Step 6: Option E, "Bibliomania, an excessive love of collecting books", is about books and has nothing to do with alcohol. Step 7: Therefore, option C exactly matches the definition we need and is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification technique is to recall common word roots. The root "dipso" is linked to thirst, and in medical contexts it is strongly connected to alcohol. For example, some older medical literature uses the term dipsomaniac for a person who repeatedly experiences episodes of uncontrollable drinking. By contrast, "klepto" is related to theft, "pyro" is related to fire, "megalo" to greatness or largeness, and "biblio" to books. Matching these roots to their meanings confirms that only "dipsomania" is associated with an irresistible craving for alcoholic beverages.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Pyromania: This is a compulsion to set fires and is completely unrelated to alcohol consumption.
Kleptomania: This is a disorder in which a person feels a strong urge to steal items, often without any real need or gain.
Megalomania: This describes an obsession with power, importance, or grand schemes, not with any physical substance like alcohol.
Bibliomania: This refers to a passion for collecting books, which may be intense but does not involve addictive drinking behaviour.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to pick a familiar term without carefully reading the description. Some students choose pyromania or kleptomania simply because they have heard these words more often. Another pitfall is to assume that any mania could refer to any extreme behaviour and then guess. To avoid such errors, it is useful to break each word into its root and suffix and recall simple associations: pyro with fire, klepto with theft, dipso with thirst and alcohol, megalo with large or grand, and biblio with books. This technique improves accuracy in many vocabulary questions.

Final Answer:
The medical or psychological term for an irresistible craving for alcoholic drinks is dipsomania.