Pages tables also have a sort ascending/descending option, but the word processing application in general has no sort facility.
There is a free package of Services in the Mac App Store named WordService. On download from the Mac App Store, it automatically installs several services available to you — including Sort Ascending and Sort Descending. These are ideal for lists of text in a Pages document body, or even in a Text box, and with selected text, are available to you from the Pages : Services menu.
Most of the WordService services are inactive by default after installation, so you will have to visit System Preferences : Keyboard panel : Shortcuts : Services, and scroll down in the Services panel until you discover:

Notice the keyboard shortcuts. Notice the Smart Quotes service you could use in your post regarding straight-quotes to smart quotes. It magically fixes both sides of straight quotes to smart quotes in one click.
There is a WordService application placed in your Applications folder. Its sole purpose is to open a PDF file in Preview cataloging all of the services and their description that are available to you.