This request would translate into a type A request for poneria.ISI.EDU. The resolver would not find any cached data for this name, but would find the NS RRs in the cache for ISI.EDU when it looks for foreign servers to ask. Using this data, it would construct a SLIST of the form:
Match count = 3 A.ISI.EDU. 26.3.0.103 VAXA.ISI.EDU. 10.2.0.27 128.9.0.33 VENERA.ISI.EDU. 10.1.0.52
A.ISI.EDU is listed first on the assumption that the resolver orders its choices by preference, and A.ISI.EDU is on the same network.
One of these servers would answer the query.