Tax Collection Custom

A research team went to a village somewhere between the jungles of Africa. Luckily for them, they reached the day when quite an interesting custom was to be performed. The custom was performed once a year as they confirmed and was performed in order to collect the taxes from every male of the region.

The taxes were to be paid in the form of grains. Everyone must pay pounds of grain equaling his respective age. This means a 20-year-old will have to pay 20 pounds of grain and a 30-year-old will pay 30 pounds of grain and so on.

The chief who collects the tax has 7 weights and a large 2-pan scale to weigh. But there is another custom that the chief can weigh only three of the seven weights.

Can you find out the weights of the seven weights? Also, what is the maximum age of the man that can be weighed for the payment of taxes?




Similar Riddles

These types of puzzles are known as charades. What you have to do is find two words that are referred to in the first stanza and the second stanza and put them together to form the third word in the third stanza.

Just for example, if my first refers to 'off' and my second refers to 'ice', then my whole will be office.

My first is present - future's past -
A time in which your lot is cast.

My second is my first of space
Defining people's present place.

My whole describes a lack of site -
A place without length, breadth, or height.

Asked by Neha on 08 Feb 2026


Sally lives in a place where six months of the year is mild summer and the temperature drops significantly the other six months. She owns a lake where there is a small island. She wants to build a house on the island and needs to get materials there. She doesn’t have a boat, plane, or anything to transport them to the island. How does Sally solve this problem?

Asked by Neha on 09 Jun 2025

You along with your friend are standing in front of two houses. Each of those houses inhabits a family with two children.

Your friend tells you the below two facts:
1) On your left is a family that has a boy who likes accounts but the other child loves science.
2) On the right is a family with a seven-year-old boy and a newborn baby.

You ask him, "Does either of the family have a girl?"

To this, he replies, "I am not quite sure. But can you guess that? If you are right, I will give you $500."

Which family do you think is likely to have a girl?

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There are two candles. Both will only burn exactly for an hour. How will you use these two candles to measure forty-five minutes?

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What can you deduce from the following BrainBat?

CRY
LMKI

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There are two arch enemies Messi and Ronaldo who hate each other to an extreme. One day both were going together and a Jeanie appeared in front of them. Jeanie grants 3 wishes to Ronaldo and one to Messi.

Messi replied smartly 'Give me twice whatever Ronaldo demands'.

Ronaldo asked his 1st wish 'Give me 10000 billion dollars. Soon Messi gets 2000 billion dollars.
Ronaldo asked for his 2nd wish 'Give me one mansion in every country in the world. Soon Messi gets two mansions in every country of the world?

What should be Ronaldo's third wish?

Asked by Neha on 02 Mar 2024


A monk has a very specific ritual for climbing up the steps to the temple. First, he climbs up to the middle step and meditates for 1 minute. Then he climbs up 8 steps and faces east until he hears a bird singing. Then he walks down 12 steps and picks up a pebble. He takes one step up and tosses the pebble over his left shoulder. Now, he walks up the remaining steps three at a time which only takes him 9 paces. How many steps are there?

Asked by Neha on 16 Apr 2026

What does below chemistry rebus means?

What does this say

Asked by Neha on 02 Feb 2024

I am the largest in my family of fifty.
The youngest of our family lives separately from the rest of the family and so do I.
I am regarded as harsh and tough.
I am so large, you cut me in two equal halves,
each half would still be larger than the second largest member of the family.
Who am I?

Asked by Neha on 14 May 2021


I am something people love or hate. I change peoples appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of them self I will go up even higher. To some people I will fool them. To others I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me but I will show. No matter how hard people try I will Never go down. What am I?

Asked by Neha on 17 May 2021

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