The correct answers are the following.
In the excerpt of “The Life of Charlotte Bronte” by Elizabeth Gaskell, the meaning of the underlined words “sagacity” and “bestowing” are:
In this excerpt, the word sagacity means intelligence, acuity.
In this excerpt, the word bestowing means grant, confer.
Sagacity/intelligence is used in the text to say that the Yorkshiremen have a dogged power of will that they have as a right of birth. Bestowing is used in the text to say that their skills are bestowed/granted because they rarely require the assistance of others.
“The Life of Charlotte Bronte” was written by Elizabeth Gaskell in 1857. It is Bronte’s biography.