The poem refers to a plague, likely COVID-19. In the beginning, people stay indoors out of fear and suspicion of their neighbors. They maintain distance from each other. However, the author says misfortune can provide an opportunity for improvement. Though there is fear, hope and opportunity for positive change can be found. The author advocates taking advantage of this chance to better oneself and humanity.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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. misfortuneD. opportunity

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.)

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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