Weighing the sugar first:
The 9 and 11 ounce weights were placed together in one pan of the scale (giving 20 ounces) and the 6 ounce weight was placed in the other pan to which enough sugar was added to make up a total weight of 20 ounces and thus balance the pan weights (14 ounces of sugar were added).

Weighing the tea:
The 9 ounce weight and the 14 ounces of sugar were placed together in one pan (giving 23 ounces). The 11 ounce weight was placed in the other pan to which enough tea was added to bring the total weight up to 23 ounces to balance the scale (12 ounces of tea were added).

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