Which of the following components controls how hardware works?

The CompTIA Tech+ Study Guide clearly defines:

“To talk to the hardware, operating systems use specialized programs called device drivers, or drivers for short. A driver tells the OS how to talk to the specific piece of hardware and how to use its features. If there is no driver for that OS, then the hardware will not be compatible with it.”

Hence, drivers are the software components that control and enable communication between the OS and hardware devices.

Verified Reference:

Chapter 4: Operating Systems — “Coordinating Users and Hardware” (pp. 208–209).