What is the best strategy for answering 'Verbal Reasoning' questions?

The important thing to remember is that this section is extremely time limited - you should not try and read all of the given sample paragraph. Instead, read the question first and then scan the sample paragraph for key words relating to the question. This will do you fine for many questions - it's only later on with more complicated questions that you may have to read all the text / understand its meaning to get the correct answer. 

When you see these more complex questions, or simply any question that you struggle with, the best strategy is to GUESS, FLAG AND SKIP:
Guess an answer - if you attempt the question, you might get it right, whereas selecting no answer at all is an instant zero.
Flag the question - this allows you to return to it easily at the end.
Skip - move quickly onto the next question. Each question is equally weighted, so there's no benefit to spending on one in particular!