In the Time of Plague

N. Scott Momaday
Sta. Fe, N.M.

We keep indoors.
When we dare to venture out
We are cautious. Our neighbors
Smile, but in their eyes there is
Reserve and suspicion.
They keep their distance,
As we do ours, in mute accord.
Much of our fear is unspoken,
For there is at last the weight of Custom, The
tender of rote consolation.
We endure thoughts of demise And measure the
distance of death.
Death too wears a mask.
But consider, there may well be good
In our misfortune if we can find it. It Is
Hidden in the darkness of our fear.
 But discover it and see that it is hope
And more; it is the gift of opportunity
We have the rare chance to prevail,
To pose a resolution for world renewal.
We can be better than we have ever been.
We can improve the human condition.
We can imagine, then strive to realize,
Our potential for goodness and morality.
We can preserve our sacred purpose. We can
Determine who we are in our Essential nature And
who we can be. We are committed to this end
For our own sake and for the sake of those Who will
come after us. There is a better future,
And we can secure it. Let us take up
The task, and
Let us be worthy of our best destiny.
1. What is the plague the poem is referring to?
A. fear B. COVID 19 C. destiny D. misfortune

2. What word in the poem does the pronoun they in the sixth line
refer to?
A. eyes B. indoors C. venture D. neighbors

3. What figurative language is used in the line “Death too wears a

mask”?
A. irony B. simile C. metaphor D. personification

4. What does the word reserve in the line “there is reserve and
suspicion” mean?
A. keep back C. caution in one’s action
B. set aside D. something stored for future use

5. What does the author say is ‘good’ hidden in our fear?

A. death B. mask C. misfortune D. opportunity
6. Which of the following best summarizes the first five sentences?
A. People want to stay indoors.
B. People are suspicious of their neighbors.
C. People want to stay away from their neighbors.
D. People maintain their good relationship with their neighbors although there is doubt.

7. Which of the following phrases best describes the change in the speaker’s
emotions from the beginning to the end of the poem?
A. fearful, then optimistic C. hopeful, then unhappy
B. doubtful, then pessimistic D. indifferent, then satisfied

8. What is the theme of the poem?

A. We must protect ourselves at all times.
B. Misfortune can be experienced by anyone.
C. Stay away from your neighbors to avoid infection.
D. Misfortune can be an opportunity to improve oneself.

9. Why does the speaker say “They keep their distance, as we do ours…”?
A. People hate each other.
B. People are suspicious of their neighbors.
C. People are afraid to get infected by the virus.
D. People just want to stay away from each other.
10. What is the mood of the line, “We can be better than we have ever been”?
A. hopeful B. humorous C. sorrowful D. suspenseful
Reading skills are abilities that pertain to a person’s capacity to
read, comprehend, interpret and decode written language texts. It
can encompass several key aspects that work together to develop
overall literacy skills, including comprehension, fluency,
vocabulary and strategies that help readers interpret and find
meaning in texts.

What are Textual Aids?

Textual aids are educational instruments, could be written texts, or

printed texts and other ways of emphasizing the essential phrases,
thoughts, graphs, and/or images. They are tools or materials that
provide support and facilitate understanding of texts.
Simple examples of textual aids are those words being highlighted,
bolded, italicized, and adding charts, graphs, diagrams, maps,
tables, etc.
Advance organizers are pedagogical devices that
bridge the gap between what learners already know
and what learners need to know (Ausubel 1968,
200). They can include anything from skimming the
reading material to the use of graphic organizers.
1. Narrative
2. Expository
3. Skimming
4. Graphic Organizers (Concept Map, Flow
Diagram, Sequence Chart, Venn diagram, Cause
and Effect Diagram, etc.)
Narrative
This type of advance organizer presents new
information in the format of a story. For example, a
teacher will provide the main and important
concepts of the lesson by telling a story that
includes these concepts.

Expository
This type of advance organizer is used to present
new or detailed information as opposed to making
connections with previously introduced
information.
Skimming
Skimming is when the teacher provides the learners with
the opportunity to skim over the information that is
about to be introduced, focusing on highlighted
information (headings). It is reading rapidly in order to get
a general overview of the material.

Graphic Organizers
Graphic Organizers are used as a method of presenting
information. They are efficient because they highlight and
focus on just the important aspects and they also show
relationships between necessary information.
Noting Details

Noting details is a reading comprehension skill that

involves picking out, from a piece of text, the particular
piece or pieces of information to achieve a given purpose.
These details are the ones that good readers notice and
authors use to emphasize the events and the characters in
the story.
Details are divided into two:
1. Implicit Details- These details are used to describe or to
define a general state. These are the details that we can’t
really see because they are not plainly expressed.
2. Explicit Details- These are the specific details. The
details that we can see and are measurable because they are
stated clearly.