A man added 3 more sheep to those already in his barn. He then had 7 times as many sheep as he would have had if he had sold 3 instead of buying 3. How many sheep did he have in the beginning?

Riddle: A man added 3 more sheep to those already in his barn. He then had 7 times as many sheep as he would have had if he had sold 3 instead of buying 3. How many sheep did he have in the beginning?

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He had four sheep in the beginning.

Let x be the initial number of sheep.

x + 3 = 7(x – 3)

x + 3 = 7x – 21

24 = 6x

Therefore x = 24/6 = 4.