The article is devoted to pedagogical technology web quest in the context of its application for teaching social and human sciences, The main focus is on the structure of the technology, its classification and the main stages of web quest. The authors have developed and applied the original web quest “Social statuses and roles” and followed up with a detailed description of how it actually works. The paper thus aims to clearly demonstrate the operating mechanism of the web quest focusing on the stages students pass through while doing the quest. The paper investigates into benefits and shortcomings of the field- proven web quest. The authors suggest a considered opinion on effectiveness and productivity of this method, taking into account that it allows students to gain both necessary theoretical knowledge and apply this knowledge practically at each stage of the web quest. Moreover, the web quest allows you to maximize your creative potential and develop teamwork skills. This technology helps students develop effective skills of independent study and offers teachers reliable tools for guiding the quest stages and shaping its educational effects. The analysis offered in the paper reveals the significance of the web quest under challenging conditions of distance learning when teachers seek for new effective tools enabling to monitor each student's performance and hold the audience's attention.