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

French Police inspects a room where there are no windows, no doors, no tables and is almost empty expect there is just a puddle of water. They found a dead man who obviously hung herself from the ceiling, but they are not able to figure out how this had happened.

John and Jacob entered the crime scene and easily able to solve the case.

How did the man die?

Asked by Neha on 09 Sep 2021


I have a head like a cat and feet like a cat, but I am not a cat. What am I?

Asked by Neha on 12 Aug 2025

I have 50 feet long of cloth, I need to create 50 handkerchiefs each size of 1 foot. I take one minute to cut a 1-foot handkerchief. So how long will it take to cut 50 handkerchiefs?

Asked by Neha on 05 Sep 2024


There was a blind man. He had four socks in his drawer either black or white. He opened it and took out two socks. Now the probability that it was a pair of white socks is 1/2.

Can you find out the probability that he had taken out a pair of black socks ?

Asked by Neha on 19 Mar 2023

Shyla was sleeping in her apartment when suddenly a robber broke into her house. He asked her to stay quiet and started looting the cash and jewelry. Suddenly the landline phone started ringing. The robber pointed a gun at Shyla and asked her to pick up and talk without giving away the situation.

She picked up the phone and it happened to be her husband. She spoke, Is it an emergency darling? Do give me a call when your flight lands, I will prepare your favorite food that will help you relieve the stress. Then she hanged up.

10 minutes after, the police arrive at the scene and catch the robber. How did the police know about the robbery?

Asked by Neha on 31 Mar 2023

John speaks the truth only once a day in a week. Below are a few hints for you:

First: Days are Sunday, Monday and so on.
Second: One day he says, "I lie on Monday and Tuesday".
Third: On the next day, he says, "Today is either Thursday, Saturday or Sunday".
Fourth: On the next day, he says, "I lie on Wednesday and Friday".

Can you identify the day on which he speaks the truth?

Asked by Neha on 09 May 2025


Your job is to measure 45 minutes if you have only two cords and matches to light the cords.

1. The two cords are twisted from various materials, so their different segments can burn at different rates.
2. Each cord burns from end to end in exactly one hour.

Describe your way of measuring the 45 minutes.

Asked by Neha on 15 May 2024

I am a prime number.
The double of myself is equal to the square of me.

which number am I?

Asked by Neha on 18 Jan 2025

Which is the smallest number that you can write using all the vowels exactly once?

Asked by Neha on 11 May 2024


There are three boxes of different sizes with three cupcakes inside each of the boxes in Christina's kitchen. At night her daughter wakes up and goes to the kitchen. She opens a box and eats all three cakes.

But in the morning Christina finds out that each box still had three cupcakes. How?

Asked by Neha on 06 Dec 2024

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Word ladder puzzle

The word ladder puzzle was invented by Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.