Is there any difference between "at least' and "at the least"?
Many online dictionaries define them as identical, but here is a multiple choice question:
___, American roots are no longer an easy selling point. Through much of the postwar period, US brands could play off this cachet; Levi's ad campaigns used wholesome themes of boy-meets-girl in a heartland American setting until the early 1990s.
A At least B At the least C At most D At the most
And the correct answer is B, the reference book provides no explanation. Please kindly tell me why.