Final answer:
In exclusive forwarding, the recursive DNS server is the one that initially forwards the query and is responsible for retrieving the answer from the DNS hierarchy.
Step-by-step explanation:
In exclusive forwarding, the DNS server that initially forwards the request is called a recursive DNS server. When a client sends a DNS query, it may first reach a recursive DNS server, which in turn will do the work of fetching the answer from the DNS hierarchy. This server is responsible for making iterative queries to other DNS servers if the answer is not cached locally, until it finds the authoritative source of the information requested by the client. Once the recursive server has the answer, it sends it back to the client and typically caches the result for a period of time to optimize future requests for the same information.
In exclusive forwarding, the DNS server that initially forwards the request is called a recursive DNS server.