Skirmish (noun) – a minor fight in war usually incidental to larger movements.

Source – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skirmish

From “The Complete Fiction of Nella Larson” by Nella Larsen, “Quicksand” Chapter 13 Page 100

“She came away from the coffee feeling that she had acquitted herself well in the first skirmish.”

In this statement, the word skirmish is used to describe how Helga was able to please the crowd that came to see her. She was worried about disappointing her aunt and uncle, so after successfully meeting with the people she felt lightened.

Ramification (noun) – the act or process of branching

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ramification

From “The Complete Fiction of Nella Larson” by Nella Larsen, Page 43

“Negro society, she had learned, was as complicated and as rigid in its ramifications as the highest strata of white society.”

The author uses this word to describe how the Negro Society has many layers or branches in it. This shows that the Negro Society is big, and contains various divisions that are complex.