Source A: Before the bridge lights came on

An original contemporary non-fiction-style practice text, written for this question.

The demonstration video ended with a hundred points of light forming a bridge above the river. The real bridge below would remain dark until the final moment, when both shapes would shine together. At the presentation, the room applauded. Our town’s anniversary had found its image. I was responsible for signing the event arrangements, and for a few seconds I forgot that an image was not an arrangement.

The supplier’s proposal included diagrams, insurance details and a list of previous displays. It also used the phrase comprehensive contingency plan seven times. I asked to see the plan for this particular site. We needed to understand what would happen if the weather changed, communications failed or the display had to be stopped. The answer was that the system was designed to manage all foreseeable conditions. I repeated the question, this time without the word system in it: who would decide to stop, and how would the people beside the river be told?

At the practice session, a small group of lights drifted out of the intended shape and descended into the empty test area. Nobody was hurt. We had kept the area clear for exactly that reason. Some observers called the practice a failure. I thought it had supplied information which the video could not. The supplier began checking equipment and records. We did not yet know whether the cause was a component, a setting or something else. Guessing would not improve the next decision.

The anniversary committee wanted reassurance quickly. Posters were printed, rooms were booked and local businesses were expecting visitors. A councillor said we could not disappoint the town because of a few lights. I asked whether he meant the lights were unimportant or the unexplained descent was unimportant. The distinction made the meeting uncomfortable. By then I was tired of sounding like the person who did not want anyone to enjoy the anniversary.

We postponed the display. Other events continued, and the river walk was crowded that evening without an illuminated second bridge above it. Some people were angry. Others barely noticed the absence. The costs of changing the plan were real, and I recorded them rather than pretending caution came free.

The video still sits in the project folder. I can admire the moment when the bridge appears. Beside it is a list of questions which must be answered before we agree another date. I do not know whether the display will eventually happen. I know that a beautiful answer to the question of what people will see is not an answer to the question of what we are asking them to trust.

Source B: Explorers or boys messing about? Either way, taxpayer gets rescue bill — Steven Morris

Read Source B in the official Pearson anthology (printed pages 8–9).

Compare how the writers present their ideas and perspectives about the importance of questioning impressive plans before they are put into action.

Support your answer with detailed examples from both texts, including brief quotations.