Answer:
A. Provide a thesis statement where you state your position.
Explanation:
A "persuasive essay" is meant to convince/persuade people that the idea or argument you are claiming is true. In order to attain such goal, a writer needs to establish an effective introduction.
The "introduction" of the persuasive essay must contain the "thesis statement." This allows the writer to state his argument, thereby giving the readers a clue on what the writer is going to talk about or the main idea of his essay.
So, this explains the answer.