Data query is one of the most important issues in wireless ad hoc networks, since the ultimate goal of these networks is to support efficient data sharing among wireless nodes. In this paper, we study the issue of data query for delay-sensitive applications in dense wireless ad hoc networks. We focus our attention on step-by-step expanding ring-based data query, which provides an upper bound on query delay to any expanding ring based query strategies. Two replication strategies including Index Replication (IR) and Data Replication (DR) are considered, to improve the delay performance of data query. We analyze the probabilistic behavior of query delay for both DR and IR by theoretical methods, and develop analytical models to approximate the minimum number of replicas required for both query strategies if an application-specified delay bound is imposed. Our work is validated through extensive simulations.