Read this introductory paragraph, which is missing an important element. There was a time when robots and home automation were just a fantasy. Robots were found only in science fiction and home automation was limited to cartoon families who had every convenience at their fingertips. Meals arrived with a simple push of a button. A robot maid performed every task humans didn’t care to do. What is it missing?

A Thesis Statement.

Explanation:

An Introductory paragraph is one of the crucial elements of an effective essay as it primarily functions to grab the readers' attention(through a hook or topic sentence), reveal the author's claim or point of view(through a thesis statement), and provide necessary background information that would help the readers' in understanding the narrator's message effectively.

The given introductory paragraph includes a hook('there was..fantasy'), background information('Robots..fingertips'), and they together set the tone but it misses a crucial element i.e. 'thesis statement' which would help in revealing the key point or claim to the readers. It offers a summarized version of the key argument of the essay that the author is going to deal with and since it is missing, the author's point of view is not established.

the hollywood film industry of 1950 was threatened on several different fronts. television broadcasting was rapidly becoming the dominant entertainment medium in the united states. the paramount anti-trust consent decree requiring separate ownership for production companies and theater chains had gone into effect on 1 january 1950. large numbers of young men and women were marrying, having children, and moving to the suburbs, which affected the viability of downtown first-run movie theaters. foreign revenues were endangered by protectionist tactics including quota systems, high taxes, and blocked funds. finally, the morality and patriotism of hollywood films and filmmakers were under attack from government, religious, and citizens' groups.

explanation:

because its important to learn about other countries and how high tech they are compared to us. also its good to learn about other cultures and how ours differs and in common also we need to learn about companies that we still buy since they ship it here.